Syracuse, N.Y. New Yorks top law enforcement agency is conducting an investigation into the Syracuse Police Department, city officials say. New York Attorney General Letitia James is reviewing the policies and practices of the Syracuse police, with help from local officials, City Hall says. Mayor Ben Walshs office said his administration is cooperating with James office. He said hes confident in the progress the department has made under its new chief, Kenton Buckner. The city has been working with the Office of the Attorney Generals review of Syracuse Police Department policies and practices since March and welcomes its involvement, Walsh said in a statement Thursday. As part of that process, we have provided to the Attorney General the significant progress we have made under Chief Buckners leadership in: improving police standards, policies and training; increasing community engagement, transparency and accountability; strengthening officer discipline systems; expanding diversity within the force; and enhancing collaboration with the Citizen Review Board. Walsh and Buckner have come under increased scrutiny lately from activists and protesters demanding more police accountability and transparency. The AGs investigation, however, predates the protests that have filled Syracuses streets, according to Walsh. At a meeting two weeks ago, protesters outlined abuses theyd suffered at the hands of police and called for action from Walsh, Buckner and others. They specifically asked Walsh to strip $20 million from the departments budget and detailed reasons why police officers should be required to live in the city. They also demanded officers be removed from the citys schools. Several speakers asked Walsh to support giving the Citizen Review Board the authority to discipline officers. Walsh said he does not support that. His administration is currently fighting a legal battle to take disciplinary power away from arbitrators and put it firmly in the hands of the chief and the mayor. The police union is challenging that effort, and won an initial court battle earlier this year. Walsh has pledged to do more to support police reform, but has also pointed to prior efforts. Buckner overhauled the departments use of force policy and created other policies, including one for interacting with transgender people. The city has also been forced to pay out millions to settle several high-profile police brutality lawsuits. The AGs office declined to discuss an ongoing investigation. The mayors office did not say what prompted the investigation. Under James, the AGs office has taken an assertive role on high-profile topics. She beat President Donald Trump in a lawsuit over Trumps tax returns last year. Trump sued James over a state law permitting the release of elected officials tax returns upon request from Congress. James upheld the legality of the law, and a federal judge dismissed Trumps case. Last month, she held public hearings where protesters in New York shared accounts of violent interactions with the New York Police Department. She scolded Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea for not showing up to those hearings. During a conference call with reporters last week, James said that the NYPD had lost the trust of the communities it polices. It was impossible to deny that many New Yorkers have lost faith in law enforcement, she said, according to Newsday. Rating Action: Moody's assigns NCL Corporation's planned secured note issuance a Ba2 rating; no change to Ba2 CFR Global Credit Research - 16 Jul 2020 New York, July 16, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") assigned a Ba2 rating to NCL Corporation Ltd.'s (NCL) proposed senior secured note issuance. The company's other ratings are unchanged including its Ba2 Corporate Family Rating, Ba2-PD Probability of Default Rating, Ba2 existing senior secured rating, and B1 senior unsecured rating. The company's ratings remain on review for downgrade, including the Ba2 rating on the planned secured note issuance. The proceeds of the planned issuance of $675 million senior secured notes, along with a planned issuance of $250 million of convertible senior notes and $250 million of common equity, will be used to bolster the company's liquidity including refinancing its $675 million fully drawn revolver that expires in March 2022. "The planned issuances improve NCL's liquidity profile by adding cash to the balance sheet and pushing out maturities, important steps as the company endures this period of suspended operations and material monthly cash burn," stated Pete Trombetta, Moody's lodging and cruise analyst. Pro forma for this transaction and the company's $2.4 billion capital raise in May, Moody's estimates the company's cash balance should provide the company adequate liquidity to withstand no operations through late 2021. This includes ongoing ship operating expenses, administrative operating expenses, interest expense and expected capital expenditures and excludes cash refunds of customer deposits as well as cash inflows from new and existing bookings. Assignments: ..Issuer: NCL Corporation Ltd. ....Senior Secured Regular Bond/Debenture, Assigned Ba2 (LGD3); Rating on Review for Downgrade RATINGS RATIONALE NCL's credit profile is supported by its market position as the third largest ocean cruise operator worldwide, as well as its well-known brand names -- Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as well as the strong performance of its new ships in terms of pricing and bookings relative to its other ships which enables the company to compete against larger rivals across all its price points. Moody's view that over the long run, the value proposition of a cruise vacation relative to land-based destinations as well as a group of loyal cruise customers supports a base level of demand once health safety concerns have been effectively addressed. In the short run, NCL's credit profile will be dominated by the length of time that cruise operations continue to be highly disrupted and the resulting impacts on the company's cash consumption and its liquidity profile. The normal ongoing credit risks include its high leverage, the highly seasonal and capital intensive nature of cruise companies and the cruise industry's exposure to economic and industry cycles, weather incidents and geopolitical events. Story continues The review for downgrade will focus on NCL's recovery prospects in 2021 given the recent resurgence in coronavirus cases in certain states increasing the uncertainty around the reopening of the US and the company's plans for the eventual return to service of its US operations, including what precautions will be put in place when sailings do resume and the associated incremental costs. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS Prior to the ratings being placed on review for downgrade the factors that could lead to a downgrade include: operations being suspended for longer than our base case assumption or updated expectations for a weaker recovery, that results in debt/EBITDA remaining above 4.0x or EBITA/interest is below 4.5x over the next two years. Any deterioration in liquidity could also cause negative rating pressure. Given the review for downgrade an upgrade is unlikely in the short term, however longer term ratings could be upgraded if debt/EBITDA and EBITA/interest expense improved to below 3.75x and above 4.5x, respectively. NCL Corporation Ltd., headquartered in Miami, FL, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd. Norwegian operates 28 cruise ships with approximately 59,150 berths under three brand names; Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Net revenues were about $5.0 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The principal methodology used in these ratings was Business and Consumer Service Industry published in October 2016 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1037985. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. 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The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure. These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Peter Trombetta Asst Vice President - Analyst Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Margaret Taylor Associate Managing Director Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. 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When Frank Luises brother-in-law drove him from Florida back home to the Lehigh Valley when the coronavirus pandemic began to spread across the United States, the word ciao had no real meaning to them other than as an Italian greeting. Mere months later, its the name of the newest Downtown Easton eatery that the two of them and a friend are preparing to launch. An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 alongside Federal San Diego Firefighters combat a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kory Alsberry The US Navy announced Thursday afternoon that all known fires aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard are out. There is still the possibility that fires continue to burn on the ship. Hundreds of sailors, as well as many federal firefighters, have been working around the clock for over four days battling the blaze that first started Sunday morning. A senior Navy official said Thursday that "it is too early to make any predictions or promises of what the future of the ship will be." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. After more than four days of intense, around-the-clock firefighting, the US Navy said Thursday afternoon that all known fires on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard are finally out. The Navy still does not know exactly what caused the devastating fire. "Our fire teams are investigating every space to verify the absence of fire," Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Three, said Thursday. "Until every space is checked and there are no active fires we will not be able to commence any official investigations," he said. He also said in a statement that the extent of the damage is still unknown, indicating that "it is too early to make any predictions or promises of what the future of the ship will be." A fire was first reported aboard the big-deck amphib, which has been in maintenance for the past couple of years and was in port at Naval Base San Diego, at around 8:30 am Sunday. Sobeck revealed earlier this week that a sudden explosion forced the crew to evacuate before they could secure the area where the fire broke out and activate the fire suppression system. The fire, which is suspected to have started in a lower vehicle storage area, spread rapidly through the ship. Sobeck told reporters Tuesday that once the fire spread up to the well deck, it was "off to the races." Story continues Over the past few days, hundreds of sailors and federal firefighters have been battling fires aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. The Navy reports that 63 people 40 sailors and 23 civilians have been injured, suffering from things like smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. Sobeck told reporters Sunday evening that "we're absolutely going to make sure it sails again," adding that "we're just going to get right back at it once we get this thing contained and put out." In an update Monday, he said that he remains hopeful, even as expert observers suggested the ship was too far gone and possibly not worth saving. He continued to express optimism in later updates. Read the original article on Business Insider An update has been provided regarding the status of Dave Jackson, who sustained serious injuries during an on-track accident at Clinton Raceway on June 28. Jackson, 50, remains hospitalized in critical condition. After the accident, Jackson was transported to Clinton Hospital, and was later transferred to London Health Sciences Centre. Jackson has been diagnosed with severe head trauma along with a neck injury. He has been moved out of ICU and is now on the regular trauma floor at LHSC. The London native has a long road to recovery. Jackson is a familiar face in the harness racing industry. He can be found warming up horses for many trainers at The Raceway at Western Fair District, Flamboro Downs, Grand River Raceway and Clinton Raceway, just to name a few. The Raceway at Western Fair District and the Central Ontario Standardbred Association have kicked off a GoFundMe campaign, as both organizations have made $1,500 donations. All proceeds from the GoFundMe campaign will be sent to Dave Jackson. (With files from The Raceway at Western Fair District) Berlin, July 16 : Since its inception in 2015, the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) has developed into a leading international forum for the whos who of the Energiewende worldwide, organisers said on Thursday. But this year like many other international events, the coronavirus pandemic has lead to the cancellation of the physical event at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. With a great deal of creativity and dedication, the BETD team has now taken the conference's content online. The virtual Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue is a joint initiative of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar), the German Energy Agency (dena), and eclareon and is supported by the German government. After all, the energy transition does not allow any further delay, and the willingness to discuss and act has only increased as a result of the pandemic. In July, a cross media campaign for the virtual BETD was launched with many new formats and big plans ahead. "The current global challenge requires a global solution. With the transition to an energy system based on renewable energy at its core, a global green deal will enable sustainable growth for all and pave the way for a truly green recovery worldwide," German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) President Simone Peter said. "The tools are in our hands. Collaboration of politics, industry, science and civil society in a new multilateral framework is a precondition for the global green transition. Companies, innovators, decision and change makers are ready to deliver the necessary solutions. It is up to policymakers to provide the right framework to combine various national realities with global goals," German Energy Agency (dena) Chief Executive Andreas Kuhlmann said. In the campaign's digital repertoire, participants will find formats such as the Green Sofa Dialogues, where celebrities are interviewed on the now well-known and well-travelled green sofa. They are complimented by podcasts with energy transition experts, and explanatory videos on hot energy policy topics such as green hydrogen. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: At a time when private hospitals in the city are charging exorbitant amount for treating Covid-19, a hospital in Dubai waived off Rs 1.52 crore bill of a patient from Telangana. Odnala Rajesh (42) of Venugumatla village in Gollapalli mandal of Jagtial district, was admitted to Dubai Hospital in Dubai on April 23 and tested positive for the virus. Rajesh took 80 days to recover and while getting discharged received a bill of Rs 1.52 crore. His ordeal was brought to the notice of Indian Consulate in Dubai by the Gulf Workers Protection Society president Gundelli Narasimha. Following that, the Consulate wrote a letter to the Dubai Hospital. "The family has requested us to repatriate Rajesh to India and has expressed their financial inability to afford the bill. We shall be grateful if you can waive off the charges on humanitarian grounds," Harjeet Singh, Consul (Labour), wrote in his letter. His request was accepted by the hospital. A person named Ashok Kotecha provided free flight tickets from Dubai to Hyderabad to Rajesh and his escort Dyavara Kankaiah and paid another Rs 10,000 for their expenses. By PTI KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the Centre was not standing by the people amid the economic downturn due to COVID-19, as she hit out at the BJP-led government over Air India's decision to send certain employees on leave without pay for up to five years. She accused the central government of taking advantage of the crisis and tweaking laws and rules to keep on with their "dictator-like attitude". "Sometimes, I feel not to say anything against them and work together to fight COVID-19. But then, I feel sorry that when we are passing through such a critical time and everybody is fighting the disease, the central government and BJP are taking advantage (of it)," the chief minister said at a press conference in state secretariat 'Nabanna'. "They have already amended so many laws without any consultation (with any political parties), so many laws have been changed and whatever they need to maintain their dictatorship they are doing it. I am shocked," she added. ALSO READ | Cost-cutting has to be done: Hardeep Singh Puri on Air India's leave without pay scheme Slamming the Centre over the Air India move, she asked what will happen to the employees after five years. "What's happening in the country? I've never heard of this. Will not the Constitution come into play in this case? I am really shocked. How can they snatch the democratic rights of the people...Five years on leave without pay and after five years where will they go," she said. "Five years of no pay in this situation when people want cash," Banerjee stated. "Is this the manner in which a democratic government works? Everything is lost...Everybody is afraid, scared and ashamed. What will they do?" Banerjee said. Air India Thursday said it has started the process of identifying employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory leave without pay (LWP) for up to five years. ALSO READ | Air India to send certain employees on leave without pay for up to five years She further said that the central government was not paying heed to the advice of senior economists to give money into the hands of people at this hour of crisis, and instead was allowing FDI in several important sectors such as the railways. "How can they snatch the rights of the employees of Coal India with 100 per cent FDI? Banks are also been merged," she said. Banerjee urged all the trade unions to unitedly fight against the decisions of the Centre. "I will appeal to all trade unions, including the BJP's, to unitedly stand against this without surrendering...I will request them not to bow their heads and stay together to support this cause," she said. Explainer: What's behind rising tensions in the South China Sea? FILE PHOTO: A view of the flight deck of USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) is seen at Changi Naval Base in Singapore By James Pearson HANOI (Reuters) - The United States this week hardened its position on the South China Sea, where it has accused China of attempting to build a "maritime empire" in the potentially energy-rich waters, despite regional concerns. The rivals have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong. A statement from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 13 was the first time the United States had called China's claims in the sea unlawful and accused Beijing of a "campaign of bullying". But heated rhetoric has also been on the rise in the region, where Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam challenge China's claim to about 90% of the sea. REGIONAL TENSIONS Vietnam, frequently at loggerheads with China over the issue, is this year chairing the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). At a June 26 summit in Hanoi, Vietnam and the Philippines - China's most vocal challengers over the sea - warned of growing regional insecurity amid concern that Beijing was advancing territorial claims under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic. As China held military drills in the South China Sea this month, Vietnam said Beijing's actions were "detrimental" to its relationship with the Southeast Asian bloc. The United States simultaneously deployed two aircraft carriers to the area for what it said were pre-planned exercises. In a blustery response to the Chinese drills, Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said China "will be met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate", if the exercises encroached on Philippine territory. That followed a surprise move by President Rodrigo Duterte - who had courted Beijing since taking office in 2016 - to suspend his decision to scrap a two-decade-old troop deployment agreement with the United States. Story continues TROUBLED WATERS China illustrates its claims with a vague, U-shaped "nine-dash line" that includes swathes of Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, as well as the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands. It also overlaps the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. A tribunal at The Hague, based on a suit brought by the Philippines, ruled in 2016 that China has no "historic title" over the waters, and that its line was superseded by the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Last year, Chinese and Vietnamese vessels became embroiled in a months-long standoff in Vietnam's EEZ where a Chinese research vessel conducted a sweeping seismic survey of waters overlapping Vietnamese oil blocks. In May, the same Chinese research vessel was involved in another month-long standoff with Malaysian ships in Malaysia's EEZ, close to where a drillship contracted by Malaysian state oil firm Petronas had been operating. Chinese incursions happened 89 times between 2016 and 2019, Malaysia's government said on Tuesday. Indonesia has also begun to take a tougher stance. In January, Jakarta summoned China's ambassador and dispatched air and sea patrols after Chinese vessels entered Indonesia's EEZ around the northern Natuna islands. The tensions have already affected Vietnamese oil production in the area, including operations controlled by Russia's Rosneft and Spain's Repsol. "We're already seeing reduced appetite for oil and gas investment in Vietnam," said Andrew Harwood, research director at consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie. "Escalating tensions will not improve the situation". (Reporting by James Pearson; Additional reporting by Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Nick Macfie) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 12:47:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth have not changed and will not change, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in a reply letter to global CEOs. He also pledged that China will keep deepening reform and expanding opening-up, and provide a better business environment for the investment and development of Chinese and foreign enterprises. Writing back to representatives of Global CEO Council members, Xi said he appreciates their firm confidence in China's peaceful and open development, their commitment to staying rooted in China, and their constructive suggestions on China's economic development. China, he added, is dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic and socio-economic development in a coordinated manner, striving for a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating poverty. He said China will comprehensively implement major policies and measures aimed at ensuring the six priorities of employment, people's livelihoods, development of market entities, food and energy security, stable operation of industrial and supply chains, and smooth functioning at the community level, and ensuring stability in the six areas of employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment and market expectations. China will foster new opportunities and create new prospects for Chinese and foreign enterprises, Xi said, adding that those CEOs have made the right choice to stay rooted in China. In today's world, the interests of all countries are highly integrated, the human race is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe, and win-win cooperation is the trend of the times, stressed the Chinese president. China, he added, will be unswervingly committed to pursuing the path of peaceful development, making economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, and promoting the building of an open world economy. Xi expressed his hope that those CEOs will adhere to the principle of win-win cooperation and common development, strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Chinese companies, and contribute to the world economic recovery. Xi's letter was in reply to a recent joint letter from 18 CEOs of the Global CEO Council, which groups 39 multinational companies that are global leaders in their respective industries. The CEOs spoke highly of the fact that China, under Xi's strong leadership, has rapidly contained the coronavirus epidemic, taken the lead in resuming work and production, and played a positive role in supporting the global COVID-19 fight and maintaining world economic stability. They added that Xi's proposition on creating new opportunities out of crises and opening up new prospects in changing circumstances, as well as his resolve to unswervingly promote economic globalization in a manner that will be more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, have further consolidated their confidence in China and commitment to staying rooted in and serving China. In their letter, the business leaders also offered suggestions on China's economic development and international cooperation in the post-pandemic era. Enditem In a country thronging with statues of movie stars, politicians, and their henchmen, a few for those who died in the service of the country feels deserving, to say the least. Now, a community in Suryapet Town in the Telangana State has decided to honour a brave-heart son of the soil, Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who was martyred in the recent Galwan clashes against Chinese troops on June 15. Col. Santosh Babu was the commanding officer of the 16th battalion of the Bihar Regiment. Comprising friends and admirers of the martyred soldier, the community has chosen to build a statue for the martyred Colonel in Suryapet, his hometown. Interestingly, the fibre-cloth statue has been made using digital sculpting technology, apparently a first for the country. For services rendered The making of the statue was commissioned by Tanguturi Ramakrishna, president, World Arya Vysya Seva Mahasabha, and Eagan Dayakar Gupta, president, Suryapet District, to renowned sculptors the Vadayar Brothers of AK Arts from Nattarameswaram, West Godavari District, in Andhra Pradesh. We hope Col. Santosh Babus services will be remembered and will serve to inspire others to dedicate themselves to the country, Ramakrishna explains. Arun Prasad Vadayar, one of the Vadayar brothers, shares with us that they received the order for the statue around June 20, a job they took up on priority and completed in two weeks. Yes, the statue was for immediate delivery and we completed the task, as needed, as a mark of respect for Col. Santosh Babu, he adds. A first for India The highlight of the two-and-half feet statue is that it was made using digital sculpting technology. Apparently, Vadayar brothers are the only sculptors in the country to use the technology. In making the fibre-cloth statue using digital sculpting technology, the Vadayar Brothers used a photo of Col. Santosh Babu to set the anatomy on a computer so they could prepare a mock-up model for him. We chalked out the first mould in Plaster-of-Paris (PoP), and then made a clay model and converted it into fibre cloth, elaborates Arun Prasad. Later, we mixed resin and papier-mache and other ingredients in the desired ratio for the output. Digital sculpting technology is used for high-quality art and level of detailing; in other words, the technology ensures that sculptors can make a statue of someone with a precision of 0.01 microns meaning a high life-like resemblance which is as close and accurate as one can get with statues. The martyred colonels statue has been made in the Indian Army outfit. Proud relations While the fibre-cloth statue will be unveiled in Suryapet a month later, a bronze statue on behalf of the Telangana State Government will be installed at a junction in Suryapet. Meanwhile, the martyred colonels brother-in-law Mukhteswar expressed his heartfelt thanks towards those who thought of keeping alive his brothers memories. Describing the gesture a warm one, Mukhteswar shares with us that he is proud to welcome the initiative. Talking of how the family has been receiving hundreds of letters from the people from various states hailing Santoshs sacrifice while praying his family has the strength to carry through these difficult times, Mukhteshwar adds, We hope Santosh continues to inspire youth and instil patriotism among people. Two of the extraordinary challenges confronting the nation today aren't new. The current movement for racial justice erupted in May following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis, but it originates from a much longer history of racial discrimination in the United States. And financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is only exacerbating the economic challenges many Americans were already facing. Standard metrics such as median household income and the unemployment rate do not show the extent to which either of these problems affects Americans' quality of life and feelings of economic security. To more effectively understand the barriers that exist to achieving a high quality of life in the fullest sense, community leaders must be proactive in listening to residents' views and experiences. The Greater Washington Community Foundation and Gallup recently conducted the VoicesDMV study (Voices of the Community: DC, Maryland and Virginia) to do just that. Earlier this year, The Community Foundation and Gallup conducted the Community Insights Survey throughout the Greater Washington region, spanning the District of Columbia and surrounding counties in Virginia and Maryland. The probability-based mail survey paints a picture of a region with significant economic and racial justice challenges months before COVID-19 and recent civil unrest transformed the national discourse. Four in 10 in the Greater Washington Area Have Experienced Discrimination When asked if they have experienced discrimination within the past year, about four in 10 Greater Washington residents report having felt discriminated against. The overall rate of self-reported discrimination is higher among Black adults (49%) and Asian adults (51%) than among Hispanic adults (41%) and White adults (33%). Experiences of Discrimination Among Greater Washington Region Residents In the past 12 months, how often have you felt discriminated against? Overall White adults Black adults Asian adults Hispanic adults % % % % % Daily 2 2 4 1 1 Weekly 3 3 3 3 6 Monthly 9 5 15 10 11 Less than once per month 26 23 27 37 23 Never 59 68 50 50 60 Greater Washington Community Foundation/Gallup, December 2019-January 2020 The most common situation in which residents perceive being discriminated against is in social interactions with people they do not know. Among Greater Washington residents, 27% cite these interactions as problematic. This is followed by 11% who say they have experienced discrimination at work and by 10% who say they've experienced it in social interactions with someone they know. The situations least likely to be cited as problematic for Greater Washington residents include searching for housing (2%), applying for a bank loan (2%) and going to school (3%). Experiences of Discrimination in Specific Situations Among Greater Washington Region Residents In the past 12 months, did you feel discriminated against in any of the following situations? Overall White adults Black adults Asian adults Hispanic adults % % % % % In social interactions with people you do not know 27 20 32 32 32 At your current job 11 9 10 11 17 In social interactions with people you know 10 10 7 11 12 When trying to find a job 7 6 11 4 6 When interacting with government officials or agencies 5 3 7 4 8 In interactions with the police 5 1 9 7 8 In a healthcare setting 4 4 6 3 4 At school or when pursuing your education 3 1 3 7 4 When banking or applying for a loan 2 1 4 1 4 When trying to obtain housing 2 1 4 0 4 Greater Washington Community Foundation/Gallup, December 2019-January 2020 About one in 10 Black residents (9%) report feeling discriminated against during interactions with the police, compared with 1% of White residents. Also, Black residents are four times as likely as White residents to report having experienced discrimination while trying to obtain housing (4% vs. 1%, respectively). When it comes to perceived reasons for discrimination, residents of the Greater Washington area are most likely to cite race or ethnicity (25%). Asian adults (41%) and Black adults (38%) are the most likely to say they have been discriminated against due to their race or ethnicity, followed closely by Hispanic adults (31%). The rate drops to 10% for White adults. Gender is the second most likely reason noted across the region for discrimination, cited by 14% of residents, followed by 11% citing age. Other reasons for which more than 3% of residents perceive they've been targeted for mistreatment include income level (7%), appearance (7%) and religion (4%). Language is mentioned by 3% overall, but is more of an issue for Asian adults (10%) and Hispanic adults (7%). Perceived Reasons for Experiences of Discrimination Among Greater Washington Region Residents In the past 12 months, for which of the following reasons did you feel discriminated against? Please mark all that apply. Overall White adults Black adults Asian adults Hispanic adults % % % % % Race or ethnicity 25 10 38 41 31 Gender 14 16 12 8 18 Age 11 11 13 8 9 Income level 7 4 11 4 7 Appearance (e.g., height, weight, size, tattoos, piercings) 7 6 6 7 9 Religion 4 4 4 3 1 Language 3 1 2 10 7 Because you have a child or children 3 3 2 2 3 Sexual orientation or gender identity 3 3 4 1 2 Because you do not have a child or children 2 3 2 1 3 Marital status 2 3 1 1 4 Disability 2 1 3 0 2 Pregnancy status 0 0 0 1 0 Greater Washington Community Foundation/Gallup, December 2019-January 2020 Homelessness, Economic Insecurity Are Significant Challenges Personal familiarity with homelessness is widespread across the region, with roughly one in three residents saying they know someone who has experienced homelessness or is at risk of becoming homeless. Optimism about solving homelessness is in relatively short supply, as 20% strongly agree that homelessness can be eliminated in the region, 6% say homelessness has decreased in the past year, and 4% strongly agree that their local government cares about addressing homelessness. Homelessness is also an issue that many residents may identify with on an even more personal level. At the time of the survey, well before the pandemic, three in 10 Greater Washington residents reported being very or somewhat worried about paying their rent or mortgage, with substantial differences seen on this item by race. Whereas 42% of both Black residents and Hispanic residents reported being worried about affording their housing, this fell to 35% among Asian residents and 17% among White residents. Concerns About Paying Rent or Mortgage Among Greater Washington Region Residents How worried are you about not being able to pay your rent or mortgage? Overall White adults Black adults Asian adults Hispanic adults % % % % % Very worried 7 3 17 4 5 Somewhat worried 23 14 25 31 37 Not too worried 34 36 33 38 29 Not at all worried 35 47 24 28 28 Greater Washington Community Foundation/Gallup, December 2019-January 2020 Financial insecurity is generally widespread across the Greater Washington region, with more than a third of residents saying they could manage financially for less than two months if they lost their current sources of household income. Again, there is a substantial racial gap on this perception, with 56% of Black residents saying they could manage for less than two months, compared with 35% of Hispanic residents, 26% of Asian residents and 24% of White residents. Levels of Financial Insecurity Among Greater Washington Region Residents If you lost all your current sources of household income, including your paycheck, public assistance or other forms of income, about how long do you think you could continue to live as you live today? Overall White adults Black adults Asian adults Hispanic adults % % % % % Less than a month 19 14 35 9 13 At least one month but less than two months 16 10 21 17 22 At least two months but less than six months 22 22 19 23 24 At least six months but less than a year 19 21 14 18 22 At least a year but less than two years 11 15 4 16 10 Two years or more 14 18 8 17 9 Greater Washington Community Foundation/Gallup, December 2019-January 2020 When it comes to specific approaches for addressing the homelessness issue, roughly four in 10 residents strongly or somewhat agree that homelessness can be solved by increasing the supply of housing, and 40% agree that they would be willing to pay more taxes to help increase the supply of affordable housing. Bottom Line Like many Americans, residents of the Greater Washington region reported experiencing discrimination and economic challenges prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While leaders now attempt to craft solutions aimed at the immediate needs of residents facing unprecedented job and income loss, recent events have only exacerbated challenges many were already struggling with. To create solutions that address these systemic inequities and remove barriers to opportunity and employment, it is critical that leaders do not just look at traditional metrics but also listen to the voices of their people. Residents can provide the information needed for leaders and communities to ensure they are focused on the challenges facing people today and preparing their communities for the emerging needs of tomorrow. Learn more about the VoicesDMV study. Last week while grocery shopping at Trader Joes in Royal Oak, Daniel Millen was shocked to see a woman pushing her cart around the store without a mask. When he brought it to the managers attention, he sympathized but explained it was allowed: she said she had a medical condition that exempted her from wearing one. New York, July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Automatic Power Factor Controller Market Research Report by Type, by Component, by Installation Type, by Industry - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913323/?utm_source=GNW On the basis of Type , the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market is studied across Active APFCs and Passive APFCs. On the basis of Component , the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market is studied across Capacitors, Displays, Microcontrollers, Relays, Resistors, and Switches. On the basis of Installation Type, the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market is studied across Self-Standing APFC Panels and Wall-Mounted APFC Panels. On the basis of Industry, the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market is studied across Commercial, Enterprise, Manufacturing, Military, and Utility. On the basis of Geography, the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market including ABB Ltd., Crompton Greaves Ltd., Eaton Corporation PLC, EPCOS AG, Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc., General Electric Company, Larsen & Toubro Limited, on Semiconductor Corporation, Schneider Electric SE, Stmicroelectronics N.V., and Texas Instruments, Inc.. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market on the basis of 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) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Competitive Strategic Window: 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 acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913323/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ MEXICO CITY - A plane carrying the former head of Mexicos state-run oil company took off from Spain and was expected to land late Thursday in Mexico, where the former executive faces charges equivalent to money laundering, bribery and conspiracy. Prosecutors claim Emilio Lozoya took corruption to such lengths during his tenure as head of the state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos that he diverted bribe money intended for the former ruling party to buy a $1.9 million house for his family. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has made rooting out corruption his main cause, and has said that Lozoya has offered to turn testify about bribery and corrupt contracts. He agreed voluntarily and made a commitment to talk about what happened in these alleged frauds he is accused of, and I think he will talk about Odebrecht and other types of crimes, Lopez Obrador said Thursday. That was a reference to millions of dollars in bribes he allegedly received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Prosecutors also say Lozoya was involved in the 2015 purchase of a fertilizer plant by the oil company known as Pemex from a Mexican company at an inflated price. Prosecutors allegations against Emilio Lozoya were released Monday after Spain approved his extradition. Spanish police arrested Lozoya in the southern city of Malaga in February. Lozoya has denied wrongdoing. Many in Mexico had expected Lozoya might implicate others in the former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, perhaps including former president Enrique Pena Nieto, who governed Mexico from 2012 to 2018. There had been speculation that Lozoya, who helped run Pena Nietos 2012 campaign, used bribe money to get his boss elected. But according to the court papers released Monday, Lozoya asked Oderbrecht for $4 million for the PRI campaign in 2012 and then spent half of it on a property in his wifes name. In exchange for his help ... in March 2012, the defendant asked for a payment to help support the PRI political campaign, according to Spains Audiencia Nacional. Between April, June and November the elections were in July the company deposited $4 million into accounts controlled by Lozoyas family, but part of this money was used on August 23, 2013, by his wife Marielle Helen Eckers to buy a property for $1.9 million in the state of Guerrero in Mexico. That appears to be a reference to a property in the Pacific coast resort of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo that was briefly seized by Mexican authorities. The year 2013 appears to have been lucrative for Lozoya. The court documents say Oderbrecht allegedly offered him $6 million in bribes to get a contract for renovating an old oil refinery. The Brazilian firm allegedly wound up paying him $5 million. A Mexican firm, which later sold an overpriced old fertilizer plant to Pemex when Lozoya was director, allegedly paid him $3.4 million in 2012. Lozoya allegedly used $2.58 million of the money to buy a property in an upscale Mexico City neighbourhood. Lozoya, who directed Pemex from 2012 to 2016 during the Pena Nieto administration, has always denied wrongdoing, but fled Mexico and led authorities on a monthslong overseas manhunt. Spanish police arrested Lozoya in the southern city of Malaga in February. In another major case, authorities in the northern border state of Chihuahua said Thursday they have seized more than 50 properties belonging to former Gov. Cesar Duarte, who was arrested in Florida last week for extradition to Mexico on corruption charges. Many of the properties appear to be rural ranches. The state government said the properties are worth over $22 million. If the state successfully defends the seizures in court and sells the properties, it plans to spend the money on health, education and public safety projects. In 2018, Chihuahua state officials opened a new investigation into Duarte and dozens of officials from his administration. The probe centred on the possible diversion of the equivalent of about $320 million in government funds in 2016, when Duarte was governor. He lived through the Great Depression and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He spent a career working for, and later volunteering at, the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Syracuse. Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Charles Chuck Reiner is turning 100. Plans for a big birthday party, of course, had to be shelved. Instead, his family plans a different kind of celebration. On Saturday (July 18), theyll have a parade in front of the residence where he lives with his wife, Dorothy, at Brookdale Summerfield senior living complex off Velasko Road in the town of Onondaga. It will feature friends, family and representatives from the VA, the American Red Cross, Disabled American Veterans and more. Following that, Reiner will be honored at the VA hospital, where he worked as chief of medical media productions for 25 years and then volunteered for an additional 31 years. We are saddened that we cannot have the party that we originally planned, but are hoping to make his birthday as special as he is, Reiners daughter, Randi Rhinehart, said. Reiners actual birthday is July 22, but the parade and celebration will be Saturday so more people can attend, Rhinehart said. The events will follow social distancing and other safety protocols. (See event details below). Its a big summer for Reiner: On Aug. 22, he and Dorothy (who is now 98) will celebrate their 78th wedding anniversary. August also marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Reiner, who grew up in Rochester, had a role in ending the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January 1942 just weeks after Pearl Harbor and was stationed for much of the war at Mitchel Field in Hempstead, Long Island. In 1945, he was deployed to Tinian Island in the Pacific. There, as a staff sergeant, he worked in flight operations at the time Tinian served as the launching base for U.S. bombers and other aircraft, including the planes that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Chuck Reiner in his U.S. Army Air Corps uniform during World War II. He turns 100 next week. Dorothy Reiner once wrote a memoir of their wartime experiences for the family. On Tinian, as part of the 313th Bomb Squadron, Chuck ... was on Flight Operations which kept track of the planes progress to and from Japan on their bombing raids, she wrote. Tinian Island is approximately 4 mi. X 8 mi. and had the largest airfield in the world at that time. Many bombing missions using B-29s emanated from there. ... Shortly after Chucks arrival on Tinian, a Top Secret mission originated on this tiny Marianas island. President Harry Truman gave his approval of the use of the atomic bomb. The B-29 Enola Gay took off from Tinian August 6, 1945 and dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Nagasaki became the next target on August 9, 1945 and in the face of such mass destruction the Japanese opened peace negotiations on August 10th. After returning home, Chuck Reiner, who had worked before the war at Kodak, went back to school and trained as a biomedical photographer. He worked at several hospitals before getting a job at the VA Hospital in Syracuse just three weeks after it opened in 1953. He retired as the chief of Medical Media Productions in 1978. After leaving the VA, he drove a school bus for Westhill Central School District for more than 10 years. Then he began what Rhinehart calls his long volunteer career. He was a volunteer driver for the Red Cross and the Disabled American Veterans, and also served as a volunteer greeter for his former employer, the VA hospital. He and Dorothy, who is also originally from Rochester, lived for 62 years in Westvale before moving to the senior living center last fall. They had three children, Randi, Debbie and Rick (who died of leukemia in 1997). They have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Though the birthday party isnt going to happen exactly as once planned, Randi Rhinehart is excited by the chance to have a public celebration for her father. It (will) be great to see my father recognized for all the contributions he has made to his community and his country, she said. Other families have also had to adjust plans to honor loved one during the pandemic. In June, the family of decorated World War II veteran Daniel Galuppo honored his 100th birthday with a socially distant backyard party. EVENT DETAILS Chuck Reiners 100th birthday celebration, July 18: 1 p.m.: The parade starts at Brookdale Summerfield senior complex, 100 Summerfield Village Lane, off Velasko Road in Onondaga. Representatives from the Veterans Administration, Disabled American Veterans, American Reed Cross, National Association of Retired Federal Employees will join friends and family. 3 p.m.: Following the parade, Reiners family will take him to the VA Medical Center, 800 Irving Ave. in Syracuse. There will be a ceremony hosted by the medical center and Disabled American Vets Transport. Reiner will be presented a lifetime achievement award for 31 years of volunteer service as a driver for DAV Transport and a greeter for the VA hospital. Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries announced it has signed on to be a business partner of the Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready), a new initiative to help unemployed Virginians across the commonwealth get back to work quickly. In response to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment, VA Ready, in partnership with businesses and Virginias community colleges, equips people who are out of work with the required skills for in-demand jobs in high-growth sectors. We are proud to support the VA Ready initiative and help develop the talents of Virginians looking for work in the manufacturing sector, said Mike Petters, HII president and CEO. Workforce development is at the core of our business at Huntington Ingalls Industries. For more than 100 years, we have been developing a skilled and diverse workforce to meet the challenges of shipbuilding and manufacturing. I strongly believe that retraining out-of-work Virginians will serve as an important catalyst in reviving our economy and our communities. As the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are seeing an urgent need to get Virginians back to work, said Glenn A. Youngkin, co-founder and chairman of VA Ready. Employer engagement is critical to retraining thousands of Virginians for in-demand jobs. Im grateful to Huntington Ingalls Industries and the unique coalition that is partnering in this much-needed effort. More than 800,000 people in the commonwealth have filed for unemployment benefits since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Low-wage earners and minority communities have been hit the hardest. At the same time, demand is projected to grow for specialized jobs in the fields of technology, healthcare and manufacturing/skilled trades. VA Ready, a newly formed public charity, rewards out-of-work Virginians who commit themselves to training for in-demand jobs. VA Ready Scholars earn a credential in one of many selected training programs through FastForward, a state-led short-term workforce credential program to train Virginians for top, in-demand jobs across the commonwealth. FastForward is offered through the Virginia Community College Systems (VCCS) 23 community colleges. Upon achieving their credential, VA Ready Scholars receive a $1,000 Credential Achievement Award and are offered opportunities to interview with VA Readys business partners. The goal of VA Ready is not just to give our scholars a credential, but a clear path to a high-quality job at one of Virginias best companies, said Caren Merrick, CEO of VA Ready. Likewise, companies will have access to talent they know have been through a credential program that reflects their needs, which will enable them to grow their businesses, remain competitive and stimulate our states economy. It is a win-win for everyone. As a VA Ready business partner, HII will be supporting the initiative in several ways, including: Financial support for Credential Achievement Awards and awareness efforts. Input on offerings and curricula to VA Readys Talent Task Force with VCCS to ensure training program success. Participating in the VA Ready Job Exchange and providing job interview opportunities to VA Ready Scholars. For more information on VA Ready, including how the recently unemployed can apply, or how a business can become an employer partner, visit www.vaready.org . Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division supports national security missions around the globe with unmanned systems, defense and federal solutions, nuclear and environmental services, and fleet sustainment. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 42,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries HII on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hiindustries HII on YouTube: www.youtube.com/huntingtoningalls HII on Instagram: www.instagram.com/huntingtoningalls About The Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready) VA Ready is uniting stakeholders, including the commonwealths business community and the FastForward program of the Virginia Community College System to retrain out-of-work Virginians with high-demand skills and build career opportunities. Contact: Beci Brenton Beci.Brenton@hii-co.com (757) 880-3934 Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. More guidance provided on off-Island travel More guidance has been provided for Manx residents who are planning trips off-Island in the coming weeks. From Monday (July 20), travel restrictions are being lifted allowing people to travel freely to the UK and beyond, and return. Anyone who does leave must self-isolate for two weeks upon their return. Kevin Wilson, Senior Investigating Officer at the Testing and Contact Tracing Service, explains what to do when arriving back on the Isle of Man: Media Wilson Travel By ANI NEW DELHI: A day after makers dropped the trailer of Vidya Balan starring biopic 'Shakuntala Devi,' actor Akshay Kumar on Thursday lauded his 'Heyy Babyy' co-star for her flexibility to mould herself in every role. Akshay took to Twitter to share the link of the trailer to the biopic made on the life of real-life genius Shakuntala Devi. "This woman can pull off any character with ease. Looking forward to watch the effortlessly amazing @vidya_balan in and as #ShakuntalaDevi. All the best @vikramix @Abundantia_Ent @PrimeVideoIN," he tweeted. The movie will see Balan portraying the role of the real mathematical genius Shakuntala Devi who was known for solving even the most complex mathematical problems within minutes. The screenplay is written by Anu Menon and Nayanika Mahtani, while the dialogues are penned by Ishita Moitra. Amazon Prime members in India and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide can watch the endearing story of Shakuntala Devi from July 31. The number of people employed fell by another 74,000 last month with 2.6million on benefits, it was revealed today. Some 650,000 fewer are on the payroll than before the crisis after another 0.3 per cent reduction between May and June, according to official figures. Vacancies are at a record low and hours have also tumbled, the Office for National Statistics data show. The claimant count has risen by 112.2 per cent, or 1.4million, since March. However, the massive furlough and self-employed support schemes appear to be masking the scale of the issues. Rishi Sunak said the government's response was 'protecting millions of people from unemployment'. A separate survey by the British Chambers of Commerce has found that a third of firms are planning to lay off staff over the next three months. It came after Boris Johnson insisted he does not have a 'magic wand' to save jobs, admitting that a wave of redundancies is looming. The OBR warned this week that four million could be on the dole queue next year. Some 650,000 fewer are on the payroll than before the crisis, according to official figures The total number of hours worked in the UK hit a record low in March-May, according to the latest figures The respected NIESR think-tank added projections to the ONS figures, suggesting that annual pay in the private sector is tumbling while in the public sector it is rising A third of firms plan to lay off staff in the next three months Almost a third of UK firms plan to lay off staff over the next three months in a further sign of the coronavirus pandemic's devastating impact on Britain's job market, according to a report. The British Chambers of Commerce (BBC) quarterly recruitment outlook reveals that 29 per cent of 7,400 firms surveyed expect to axe jobs over the third quarter - a record high for the study. The report - compiled in conjunction with Totaljobs - found that 28 per cent of firms polled had already cut roles between April and June. The study also showed that 41 per cent of large companies and 41% of small and medium-sized firms expect to cut staff over the next quarter, with 18% of micro businesses forecasting workforce reductions. Recruitment also ground to a halt, with just 25 per cent of firms looking to take on new hires in another grim record for the report. Advertisement The PM is set to appeal for Britons to return to their offices to rescue deserted town and city centres from disaster tomorrow. Tories have been demanding that the official government advice - which still urges people to work from home if they can - is changed. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warned in a discussion with Conservative MPs last night that the reluctance of people to travel in was a major problem for business. Meanwhile, guidance on using public transport is set to shift, with trains still only 20 per cent full as people have been told to avoid it where possible. The ONS said unemployment fell 17,000 between March and May to 1.35million, with the rate unchanged at 3.9 per cent. Experts said this masked a fall in employment, down 126,000 in the quarter to 32.95 million, with the rate dropping to 76.4 per cent. With 9.4million people on furlough classed as employed, the true impact is expected to only be shown after the current support scheme ends in October. Vacancies for April to June were at the lowest level since the figures started being compiled in 2001, at 333,000. That was 23 per cent lower than the previous record low after the credit crunch in 2009. Pay has also been hit hard by the crisis, dropping 0.3 per cent in the three months to May compared to the same period last year. Accounting for inflation, that is equivalent to a 1.3 per cent reduction. Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said: 'As the pandemic took hold, the labour market weakened markedly, but that rate of decline slowed into June, though this is before recent reports of job losses. 'There are now almost two-thirds of a million fewer employees on the payroll than before the lockdown, according to the latest tax data. 'The Labour Force Survey is showing only a small fall in employment, but shows a large number of people who report working no hours and getting no pay.' He added: 'There are now far more out-of-work people who are not looking for a job than before the pandemic.' Stark divide between private sector and public sector pay The stark divide between the fortunes of the public and private sectors during coronavirus was underlined by new figures today. Public sector pay is surging during the crisis while private workers see their incomes plunge - and the gap is getting wider. The gulf reflects the fact that state employees have escaped the wave of furloughing, salary cuts and redundancies that have hit other parts of the economy. Instead they have benefited from longer-term Government pay awards that are more generous than previously as austerity had been lifted. There are grim predictions from the government's OBR watchdog that four million people could be on the dole queue by next year - almost all of them in the private sector. The difference was highlighted in figures published by the Office for National Statistics today, showing annual growth in regular weekly pay was 4.8 per cent in the public sector in May. By contrast in the private sector the equivalent figure was minus 2.6 per cent. Regular pay data tend to underplay incomes in the private sector as bonuses are more common - but many of these extras have been suspended in the Covid crisis. Separate forecasts from the respected NIESR think-tank building on the ONS data suggest the trend will get more pronounced in the coming months. For total pay - including bonuses - the change in the three month average for annual pay is expected to be minus 2.9 per cent by September. In the public sector the relevant figure will be 4.9 per cent. Advertisement Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the situation was going to be 'very, very difficult for lots of people'. 'I think the best thing we can do is continue to open up the economy in a phased manner, a cautious manner, and get businesses up and running again,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the unemployment figures underlined the need for continuing Government support to hard-hit sectors. 'Clearly there are some trends that can be discerned - the number of hours worked going down and the amount of economic inactivity going up as well,' she told Today. 'I think this is a very concerning time because we could see that being worsened by changes going ahead with the furlough scheme. 'We do think that for particularly badly affected sectors there does need to be continuing support, otherwise we will see extra waves of people potentially moving into unemployment or economic inactivity.' In the Commons yesterday, the PM said 'no-one should underestimate the challenges' the UK faces after the government's economic watchdog warned four million people could be on the dole queue by next year. The OBR said this week that the government faces a gap of at least 60billion in its finances - equivalent to as much as 12p on the basic rate of income tax - as it poured cold water on hopes of a 'V-shaped' bounceback from coronavirus. It said GDP will fall by up to 14 per cent this year, the worst recession in 300 years, with national debt bigger than the whole economy. Underlining the scale of the hit, government liabilities could be 710billion more than previously expected by 2023-4. That is equivalent to nearly 11,000 for every man, woman and child in the UK. If the 'downside' scenario comes to pass the national debt could be roughly 1trillion higher by 2024-25. Almost a third of UK firms plan to lay off staff over the next three months in a further sign of the coronavirus pandemic's devastating impact on Britain's job market, according to a report. The British Chambers of Commerce (BBC) quarterly recruitment outlook reveals that 29 per cent of 7,400 firms surveyed expect to axe jobs over the third quarter - a record high for the study. The ONS figures today show average weekly public sector pay was rising year-on-year in May - but private sector pay was falling The OBR's downside scenario sees unemployment rising to more than four million next year - with a rate higher than seen in the 1980s Boris Johnson insisted yesterday that he does not have a 'magic wand' to save jobs, admitting that a wave of redundancies is looming The report - compiled in conjunction with Totaljobs - found that 28 per cent of firms polled had already cut roles between April and June. The study also showed that 41 per cent of large companies and 41% of small and medium-sized firms expect to cut staff over the next quarter, with 18% of micro businesses forecasting workforce reductions. Recruitment also ground to a halt, with just 25 per cent of firms looking to take on new hires in another grim record for the report. Nye Cominetti, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, said the relatively muted effects in the latest ONS figures were not cause for celebration. 'While the initial shock is levelling off, that doesn't mean the jobs market is in recovery. 'The next big test of this crisis - on rising redundancies and unemployment - is still to come as the furlough scheme that has supported over nine million jobs is phased out.' Samuel Tombs, at Pantheon Macroeconomics, added: 'The unemployment rate will surge over the coming months as people re-engage with the labour market. 'Their chances of finding a new job look slim, given that job vacancies were down 59 per cent year-over-year in June. Rishi Sunak hints taxes will have to rise amid coronavirus meltdown Rishi Sunak delivered another strong hint that tax rises are looming yesterday as he insisted the public finances will need to be put back on a 'strong and sustainable' footing. After the OBR warned about spiralling national debt from the coronavirus crisis, the Chancellor said he would need to take action to balance the books over the 'medium term'. But despite the government watchdog stating that tax hikes and spending cuts are inevitable, Mr Sunak also appeared to shut down his options by echoing Boris Johnson's vow that income tax, National Insurance and VAT will not increase before 2024 - in line with the Tory election manifesto. The comments came as Mr Sunak gave evidence to MPs on the Commons Treasury committee. Advertisement 'What's more, employment remains likely to fall during the autumn, when firms will have to start to contribute to the wages of workers that remain furloughed.' Mr Sunak's Plan for Jobs unveiled in last week's summer statement was aimed at heading off soaring unemployment, including a Job Retention Bonus scheme to give 1,000 to firms for each furloughed employee they bring back to work. He also announced a Kickstart Scheme and an apprenticeship recovery programme to help shore up the jobs market. But there are fears this will not go far enough. James Smith, ING developed markets economist, said: 'The gradual unwinding of the job retention scheme over the summer is being seen as a potential catalyst for firms to begin making changes, and the jury is out on how far the new government bonus scheme incentivising firms to bring furloughed workers back will cushion the blow.' The British Chambers of Commerce separately on Thursday urged the Chancellor to do more to protect jobs, calling for a temporary cut in National Insurance contributions. Mr Cominetti added: 'The Chancellor should deliver further support in the hardest-hit parts of the labour market to prevent the rise in unemployment being large and long-lasting.' 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More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor We have always worked with and respected the Cherokee Nation, and we look forward to building a similar relationship with the Creek Nation, Thorp said. Based upon discussions I have had with both tribes, I am confident that our relationship will prosper. We the state, Cherokee and Creek Nations all see the need for partnership in the criminal justice realm. I am convinced that working together we can continue to protect citizens and fight crime. I have always been in awe of all the good the Cherokee Nation has done for not only the citizens of the Cherokee Nation, but also the communities and counties in District 27. Thorp said according to the ruling and an interpretation by a person with the Creek Nation, the only change to the general enforcement of the law will be for tribal member Indians within these (Creek Reservation) boundaries. The McGirt ruling solidified what we have always known, that the Cherokee Nation has never been disestablished by Congress, said Cherokee Attorney General Sarah Hill. Our nation looks forward to continuing our mission of protecting Cherokee citizens while working with District 27 and state, county and city law enforcement to insure the safety of all people that reside within our Reservation. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Shaune Brown has lost an appeal of his conviction and sentencing for second-degree murder in the Aug. 30, 2012 fatal stabbing of Cory Fleetwood in Peterborough. Brown was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance for parole for 13 years following his Feb. 2, 2017 conviction after a three-week trial. His appeal was heard July 3 through a teleconference and a panel of three Ontario Court of Appeal judges led by Justice David Doherty dismissed both the conviction and sentencing appeals on Thursday. Doherty ruled that Superior Court of Justice trial judge Justice Bruce Glass did not err in his ruling and the sentence is not demonstrably unfit. Glass had upped the eligibility for parole period to 13 years from the minimum of 10 years under a second-degree murder conviction because of the violent nature of the murder, Brown having been the aggressor and Brown having a significant prior criminal record. Browns lawyer and the jury had called for the 10-year period, while the Crown sought a 14-year period. After the sentencing, Brown said he would appeal and that he wanted a judge-only retrial. The jury failed me. Ill be back in a couple of years, hopefully, Brown said after the March 2, 2017 sentencing. Brown stabbed his friend 30 times, 20 times in the back, while he was in Peterborough on a week-long visit at Fleetwoods Bethune Street home. While drinking and playing video games, they got into an argument, court heard. Fleetwood scratched the hard drive of Browns Xbox. In response, Brown smashed Fleetwoods own Xbox hard drive before going upstairs to gather his belongings to leave. There, Fleetwood suddenly approached Brown, yelling at him. A startled Brown pushed Fleetwood in the chest, causing him to fall over his computer and to the floor of his bedroom, court heard. When he got up, he appeared to be swinging at Brown, who grabbed at Fleetwoods hand expecting a punch. Fleetwood turned out to have a knife, which Brown grabbed, sustaining a significant cut to his right hand, court heard. Brown testified he was defending himself from a surprise attack. He underwent surgery to repair his hand when he returned to Toronto that night, prior to going to Montreal with his father and uncle. He was arrested in October 2012. The physical evidence and the appellants post-offence conduct offered ample support for the trial judges conclusion the appellant was the aggressor, Doherty ruled. Although the trial judge did not specifically indicate he made the finding on the reasonable doubt standard, there is nothing in his reasons to suggest he applied the wrong standard. In the appeal of the conviction, Browns lawyers unsuccessfully raised issues over references by the Glass and the Crown to 30 stab wounds misstating forensic evidence, the judges instructions to the jury and the judges statements of defence evidence. Doherty rejected the grounds of appeal. It goes without saying that all counsel and trial judges do their best to state the evidence accurately. Neither the Crown nor the trial judge are, however, required to use terminology that best accords with the defence position, Doherty ruled. Considered in the context in which the trial judge and the Crown used the phrase 30 stab wounds, and bearing in mind the limited purpose underlying the distinction drawn by Dr. (Toby) Rose (deputy chief of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, who conducted the autopsy) between incised wounds and stab wounds, the use of the phrase 30 stab wounds did not misstate her evidence or mislead the jury. Fleetwood, who was a morning baker at the Tim Hortons at Lansdowne Street East and Ashburnham Drive, was 29 when he was killed. In lieu of live sketching, Ms. Ramirez asks clients to send her as many photos of themselves as theyd like. She also encourages images of inspirational outfits, bouquets and pets. The more pictures they send me the better, she said. That way, I can get a better feeling of what their style is. Next, Ms. Ramirez draws subjects with an Apple Pencil on her iPad Pro and utilizes Procreate, an illustration application equipped with a digital collection of brushes, inks and other media. Photoshop is used to add text. Prices range from $150 to $400 for custom designs, and the final work is delivered in two to four weeks. Two California men have been charged with kidnapping a Chinese-born businessman in a $2million ransom plot that went awry when the victim died after being beaten and tased. Anthony Valladares, 28, of Pasadena, and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24, of Azusa, were arrested by FBI agents on Tuesday and could face life in prison if convicted, according to a statement from the US attorney's office. Federal prosecutors contend that Valladres was hired as 'muscle' and Velez as the driver of a minivan in the July 16, 2018, abduction of Ruochen 'Tony' Liao from a mall parking lot in suburban San Gabriel. Two California men, Anthony Valladares, 28, and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24, have been charged with helping kidnap Ruochen 'Tony' Liao, 28 (pictured), who died after being beaten and shocked with a stun gun in July 2018 Suspected masterminds Guangyao Yang (left), 25, and Peicheng Shen (right), 33, were previously charged with kidnapping and extortion Valladares told investigators that he was to be paid $1,000 for his role in the scheme and said he hired Romero as the driver, according to an FBI affidavit. Liao, 28, owned a Southern California car dealership that sold high-end cars such as Porches and Bentleys. Liao's parents in China were sent ransom demands and ordered to deposit a $2million payment in Chinese bank accounts within three hours. According to a criminal complaint, Liao's father got a call through the WeChat app from his son, on which the young man pleaded: 'Father save me, help me, I have been kidnapped.' An unknown male voice then came on the line and said in Mandarin: 'Your son has made me very poor. I have lost everything and suffered a divorce because of him. I have been looking for Tony for a long time. You must pay two million US dollars in exchange for his life.' Liao, 28, owned a Southern California car dealership that sold high-end cars such as Porches and Bentleys Shen, Yang and their cohorts allegedly used this Land Rover to transport Liao to a house in Corona, California, where he was stuffed into a closet and beaten 'Proof-of-life' photos that were sent to Liao's family suggested that the businessman had been restrained with duct tape, blindfolded and badly beaten. For an unspecified reason, Liao's parents did not pay the ransom to free their only child from captivity. Investigators stated that Liao had been shocked with a stun gun until the battery in the device died. He was believed to have been held in a closet at a home in Corona and died the day after the kidnapping and was buried in the Mojave Desert, authorities said. On the same day, one of the alleged masterminds of the plot, Peicheng Shen, 34, allegedly 'had the closet of the Corona house re-carpeted'. Shen's co-conspirator, Guangyao Yang, 26, also performed an Internet search to determine how fast a corpse decomposes in soil, court papers stated. When FBI agents searched the closet later, they discovered bare footprints placed close together near the bottom of the wall, which they said 'was consistent with a person lying on their back on the floor with their feet bound together.' Liao's remains were found in the desert identified through DNA testing last year. Liao's father received demands for ransom and proof-of-life photos showing his badly beaten only child. For an unspecified reason, Liao's parents did not pay the ransom Two Chinese citizens who had been living in West Covina have been charged with conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, attempted extortion, and threat by foreign communication for allegedly orchestrating the botched plot. Shen and Yang are being held in China on charges related to the kidnapping, the US attorney's office said. It was believed that the men arranged the kidnapping to collect a debt from Liao, according to court documents. Britain's security centre said the group responsible was APT29 which is also known as "the Dukes" and "Cozy Bear". The centre is 95 per cent certain that APT29 is part of the Russian intelligence services. APT29 was responsible for the hack of the Democratic National Committee's emails, which were later published by Wikileaks. David Higgins from global software security company CyberArk's Sydney office said the style of the hacking was common. "The attacks that the NCSS are reporting bear all the hallmarks of a multitude of previous attempts that have affected the private and public sector - exploiting people or a known vulnerability, then seeking to use valid credentials to access the systems or data they are targeting." Matthew Schmidt, an expert on Russia at the University of New Haven in the US, said the attacks demonstrated Russia's weakness under President Vladmir Putin. "That Russia hacked vaccine research is a statement of the weakness of Russian science under 20 years of Putins rule," he said. "He has failed his country; Russia was once a world leader in science." In May, Britain and the US said networks of hackers were targeting national and international organisations responding to the pandemic but did not connect them to the Russian state. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Credit:Pippa Fowles British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was "completely unacceptable" that the Russian intelligence services were targeting those working to combat COVID-19. "While others pursue their selfish interests with reckless behaviour, the UK and its allies are getting on with the hard work of finding a vaccine and protecting global health," he said. "The UK will continue to counter those conducting such cyber attacks, and work with our allies to hold perpetrators to account." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russian involvement and said the accusations were not backed by proper evidence. On Thursday, for the first time the centre identified the custom malware being used by APT29 as "WellMess" and "WellMail" to target a number of organisations that are developing vaccines. The centre said the group had been using publicly available tools to collect authentication details to large numbers of global systems with negligible intelligence value but was likely storing them for future use, with the aim of penetrating systems further. "We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic," the centre's Paul Chicester said. "Working with our allies, the NCSC is committed to protecting our most critical assets and our top priority at this time is to protect the health sector." In a written statement to the Commons, Raab also accused Russia of hacking British government documents relating to the UK-US free trade agreement that were used by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the December campaign. Corbyn held up copies of the unredacted documents at the height of the campaign, claiming they were evidence that Johnson and US President Donald Trump were conspiring to sell off the NHS. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn presents documents related to post-Brexit UK-US trade talks which he says will affect the NHS. Credit:Getty Images Raab said the government was "almost certain" that Russian actors had sought to interfere in the 2019 general election by illicitly acquiring the government documents and leaking them online the social media website Reddit. "Whilst there is no evidence of a broad spectrum Russian campaign against the General Election, any attempt to interfere in our democratic processes is completely unacceptable," Raab said. "There is an ongoing criminal investigation and it would be inappropriate for us to say anything further at this point." The revelations came amid an extraordinary putsch against Number 10 over the prestigious role of the Intelligence Committee. Julian Lewis, a conservative MP was booted out of the partyroom after he launched a late-hour campaign to beat Number 10's candidate Chris Grayling as chair of the committee. By Liz Lee KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - U.S. Customs placed a detention order on imports of products made by subsidiaries of the world's largest medical glove maker, Malaysia's Top Glove Corp Bhd, an action taken against firms suspected of using forced labour. The bar on Top Glove products comes at a time when demand for medical gloves and protective gear has skyrocketed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit the United States harder than any other country. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website showed Top Glove Sdn Bhd and TG Medical Sdn Bhd were placed on its list on Wednesday. Its "withhold release orders" (WRO), detaining imported goods, are specific to forced labour issues. In an emailed statement, CBP said that through extensive inter-agency consultations it had found evidence of forced labour practices, including debt bondage among other practices in Top Glove's units. "This WRO sends a clear and direct message to U.S. importers that the illicit, inhumane and exploitative practices of modern day slavery will not be tolerated in U.S. supply chains." CBP, however, said it was aware of the current critical need for disposable rubber gloves and would continue to allow entry of gloves produced by all other manufacturers. It estimated that the order against Top Glove entities in Malaysia would have no significant impact on total U.S. imports of that type of glove. Top Glove, which also has factories in China and Thailand, had earlier flagged that the U.S. move might be related specifically to recruitment fees paid by migrant workers to employment agents. "We are reaching out to the CBP through our office in U.S., customers and consultants, to understand the issue better and work towards a speedy resolution of the matter, within an estimated 2 weeks," it said in a bourse filing. In an evening conference call, Top Glove bosses told reporters and analysts that shipments from its two units represent half of its U.S. sales, and 12.5% of its group sales. However, the group said other subsidiaries could still sell to the United States and that other countries would easily absorb any returned shipments. Story continues "We continue to ship because we can ship. Worst comes to worst, other countries will take up as well because the order book is more than 100%," Executive Chairman Lim Wee Chai said. ONE MORE LABOUR ISSUE Top Glove said it had been bearing all recruitment fees since the start of last year, but still had to resolve an issue regarding retrospective payment of recruitment fees paid, without its knowledge, by workers to agents before January 2019. "Over the past few months we have been working on this issue, which involves extensive tracing, to establish the correct amount to be paid back to our workers, on behalf of the previous agents," the company said. Top Glove's share price slipped 2.57% before it temporarily halted trading, a minor blip after a rise of over 350% this year. Last year, U.S. Customs took similar action against another Malaysian glove maker, WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd. The detention order on imports of WRP's goods was lifted in March after remedial action was taken. Independent migrant worker rights specialist Andy Hall said in a note to reporters on Thursday that forced foreign labour in Malaysia's gloves industry could only be addressed and reduced when past recruitment fees and related costs, which hold such workers in debt bondage, are fully repaid. "In order to ensure no future debt bondage of these workers, ethical recruitment practices or zero cost recruitment policies should be put in place in practice, if the industry moves ahead to recruit more foreign workers in the future," he said. World consumption of protective gloves is expected to jump more than 11% to 330 billion pieces this year, two-thirds of which are likely to be supplied by Malaysia, according to the Southeast Asian country's rubber glove manufacturers group. (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Mark Heinrich) More than 100 children set to be released by July 17, but a federal judge will rule on their parents release next week. The scheduled release of roughly 124 children from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention could present families with further separation, an issue for which the immigration enforcement agency has previously faced heated criticism, or further detention. Immigrant children held by ICE will be eligible for release on Friday, after a federal judge ruled in June the US government must release children held in three family detention centres that hold roughly 335 people by mid-July, citing dangers of the coronavirus pandemic behind bars. Judge Dolly M Gee of the US District Court for the Central District of California decided the case and called for swift removal of children in ICE detention centres in Texas and Pennsylvania. The case cited concerns about ICEs compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic. But Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court for Washington, DC said he would not rule on whether immigrant parents held in family detention centres should be released until next week, meaning families and children would possibly be unable to exit detention at the same time. Antonio Arellano, interim executive director of Jolt Action, a Texas-based progressive Latino civic engagement organisation, told Al Jazeera this is a heartbreaking situation and called for ICE to immediately release children and families. Arellano agreed with Gees ruling, saying detention centres are susceptible to COVID-19, which exacerbates the danger [immigrants] are put in even while being detained under normal circumstances. US news organisation NBC reported that a potential outcome could be that parents would remain with their children until all are able to exit detention. This arrangement has happened in the past, most recently in May when all 366 people in ICE family detention centres declined to be separated. Possibly giving children to strangers or relatively unknown individuals is just morally corrupt and not the right course of action, Arellano said. Moving forward, families should not be given that ultimatum. At least three immigrants have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in ICE custody. The latest was Onoval Perez-Montufa, a 51-year-old from Mexico, who died on July 12 in a Florida hospital. Perez-Montufa had been receiving inpatient treatment since July 1 after exhibiting symptoms, ICE said in a statement. Roughly 3,500 people held in ICE custody have tested positive for the virus, according to the latest figures from the agency. Most have been released or deported, with 1,169 still in custody, according to agency figures from July 14. Gee court ruled that parties will have a video conference on August 7 to discuss compliance with the order on releasing children. The Hillside police chief who filed suit against the mayor last month after he was suspended for a second time is now being sued by a captain who was temporarily appointed to fill his role last year. Hillside Mayor Dahlia Vertreese appointed Capt. Lashonda Burgess to run the department while Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi was suspended for four days in October 2019. Burgess filed suit on Monday claiming Ricciardi ordered her to work from 6 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. when he returned from his suspension and not to affiliate with any political persons during working time. An attorney for Ricciardi, Ronald Ricci, said the chief had not yet been served with the lawsuit and declined to comment further. Attorneys for Burgess - John Vlasac and David Cassidy - declined to comment on the suit through an assistant when reached by phone on Wednesday. Burgess claims her issues with Ricciardi began in 2014, when he attempted to discipline her for insubordination and other charges her suit says were not sustained. Her suit claims she also filed a workplace harassment complaint against him in 2014, his emails to her were condescending and demeaning, and he refused to nominate her for the FBI National Academy in 2019. Ricciardi also criticized Burgess in April, at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, for accepting a lunch donation for other officers, the suit says. She sent correspondence in December 2019 to the mayor, business administrator and township attorney asking for a formal investigation into the harassing, discriminatory and retaliatory actions by Ricciardi, the suit says. Burgess, who is African American, claims she was discriminated against based on her gender and race. Burgess is suing the township and the police department because she alleges they did not take any action. She is not, however, suing the mayor. Attorneys for the township declined to comment on the suit. Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi stands with the town's mayor, Dahlia Vertreese at a police academy graduation ceremony in 2018. Her lawsuit marks yet another chapter in a contentious back and forth between the mayor and police chief. Ricciardi sued the mayor last month after he was suspended a second time, this time - he says - over a stipend for another officer. Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy ordered him back to the job and ruled last week that he could not be removed or demoted until the Union County Prosecutors Office concludes its investigation into the matter. The prosecutors office said it is still overseeing the department, ever since the mayor had issues with reinstating Ricciardi after the judge ordered him back to work. Ricciardis attorney said the prosecutors offices investigation into Ricciardi hasnt concluded, but he expects the chief will be exonerated. If the mayor still wants to bring administrative charges after the investigation concludes, Ricci said, she will need two-thirds of the township councils approval to do so. An administrative hearing would be held if a majority of the council does not object, Ricci explained. If the chief is found guilty of administrative charges he could ultimately appeal to the state Civil Service Commission. Ellen Harris, the township attorney, told NJ Advance Media that Riccis explanation about the township council was incorrect. She did not respond when asked to elaborate. The superior officers and patrolmen unions both cast votes of no-confidence against Ricciardi last month. Previous leaders in Hillside, a town of about 22,000, have squabbled with past police chiefs. Former Mayor Angela Garretson demoted the previous leader of the department, Louis Panarese, and he sued twice to get his job back. Panarese settled his case for $281,000 last year. Ricciardi was promoted to chief in 2017 during the legal battle under Garretsons tenure. Vertreese became mayor in 2018 after a close run-off election, and her relationship with the town council and Hillside Democratic Committee Chairman Anthony Salters, who endorsed her for mayor, have soured. She claimed in a Star-Ledger guest column that she was bullied by the council. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. ANN ARBOR, MI University of Michigan students will be on campus this fall in what officials are calling a public-health-informed semester. Preparations are underway to keep students as safe as possible from the novel coronavirus while on campus, but its not just administrators doing the work its students, too. She is the former reality star who is known for her enviable frame. And Luisa Zissman looked sensational as she soaked up the sun in a crop-top on Wednesday. The ex Apprentice star, 33, slipped into a black scalloped trim crop-top, which displayed her ample cleavage and glowing tan as she sipped on a drink. Wow: Luisa Zissman looked sensational as she soaked up the sun in a crop-top on Wednesday The star teased a glimpse of her taut midriff as she posed, with a delicate gold necklace adorning her visage. Luisa accessorised with a pair of gold overized shades and appeared to go make-up free for the snap. She captioned the photo: 'Sunsets, cocktails.' The star has been keeping followers updated with her sojourn away and on Wednesday posted a snap of herself in a leggy blue dress and sliders. Style: The star has been keeping followers updated with her sojourn away and on Wednesday posted a snap of herself in a leggy blue dress and sliders Last month the star shared a throwback picture of the wedding dress she wore for her legal ceremony in Dublin to husband Andrew Collins five years ago. Luisa took to Instagram to post the snap on Thursday, in celebration of their wedding anniversary, showing off her short tiered gown she wore on the day. The wedding was an intimate affair and they had a second ceremony in Cannes a month later, with Luisa wearing the short dress again for her evening reception. Memories: Last month Luisa shared an Instagram picture of the dress she wore to her legal ceremony in Dublin to millionaire Andrew Collins on their five year anniversary Happy times: Luisa shared this sweet post alongside the picture and her best friend Sam Faiers also commented Luisa wore a diamante tiara and lace veil for her Dublin wedding and wore light-coloured shoes with a strap detail. She wrote: '5yrs ago today we got married in a little church in Dublin with just our families there .' Luisa and Andrew first laid eyes on each other when the Irish millionaire bid on her at a charity auction, where they raised over 3,000 for charity. She began dating Andrew shortly after her marriage to Oliver Zissman broke down and he popped the question in October 2014 on a romantic trip to Paris. He gave her an eight-carat diamond ring during an intimate candlelit dinner with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Luisa is mother to Dixie, 10, with her ex-husband Oliver and Indigo Esme, three, and Clementine, two, with Andrew. She previously confessed she was bored with pretty boys and had chosen personality over looks with Andrew. Luisa told The Sun at the time: 'Good-looking men are a******s... and normally rich men are too ... It's all about their personality. 'My boyfriend now is lovely. He's good looking to me but I didn't pick him on that. He's kind and considerate and respectful.' Frustration with the slow pace of the roll-out of 13 community CCTV schemes and data protection restrictions to prevent crime in Laois boiled up at the recent Laois Joint Policing Committee. The meeting, which saw Raheen CCTV been given the all-clear, was told of huge problems being experienced by community alert groups who are trying to set up schemes. It also led to sharp exchanges between one public representative and the council official tasked with overseeing the scheme in Laois. The issue at the core of the problem highlighted is not a new one. It relates to the retention of the images / data captured by the cameras. The issue has delayed schemes in Laois for years and also blocked funding. A Laois Federation of CCTV schemes was set up after Laois County Council agreed, reluctantly, to be the data controller. The law states the council must manage the data if schemes are to operate legally. Ongoing difficulties getting around the obligations on schemes was first raised by Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley. There is a huge problem at the moment. There are community groups across the county have done years of work. They have cameras in place and in some cases there is information on the cameras that cannot be lifted by the gardai and community groups are not in a position to give it to gardai to solve crimes, he said. Deputy Stanley said the problem goes back to the issue of data controller. He believes that it is being used by design so that the CCTV schemes fail. The system by which the local authority becomes the data controller is so bureaucratic and so bound up in regulation that it is proving impossible for some groups to get their schemes approved, he said. The Laois Offaly TD said one group has already provided reams of information to county hall. A further 12 sets of information has been sought. He said there is total and utter frustration in community groups adding that they are facing a mission impossible. If you make something too complicated it will not work, he said. He said the only way it could work is that if garda vetted people on a community alert group are designated as the data controllers. The facts are this has been stopped in its tracks and we need to find ways of simplifying it - its too bureaucratic. There is too much red tape. We need to solve it, he said. He proposed that meetings take place involving gardai, council and the community groups so that schemes can proceed one by one. Committee chairman, Cllr Tom Mulhall said a number of other schemes have been approved but cannot take up grants because of the data controller problems. He said an extension of time is needed. Cllr Aisling Moran agreed that criminals are getting away with crimes such as dumping that have been caught on cameras but the images cannot be used. She called for a time limit to be put on the roll out. She said there are plenty of companies that could act as data controllers. Cllr Paddy Bracken is chair of the Laois CCTV Federation which was set up to solve the problem. He said it has been frustrating and Covid-19 has not helped. He is also on the Mountmellick CCTV committee and hoped there would be progress. Donal Brennan is the Laois County Councils Director of Services tasked with facilitating the setting up of the data controller aspect of the schemes. The council has to be the data controller. That is not within our remit to change. The law can be changed up in Dublin but that is the law, he told the Laois Joint Policing Committee. He said meetings were due to take place with the Department of Justice but were postponed due to Covid-19. He added that the Data Protection Commissioner has been in contact with the council over CCTV. A meeting is planned. He said data has to be more securely stored than jewellery. Some places have data in boxes on the side of the road. That could be cut down and taken, he said. He said a series of details has to be sorted, such as the requirement that CCTV can not take images from private property. The council is a data controller so the council must be satisfied that the system will be capable of operating in accordance with the law, he said. He warned that there is an amount of work to be done. For us to take on the role of data controller the scheme must provide us with sufficient documentation and assurance that the data is totally protected. If we do not have that information we cannot say it is a proper scheme, he said. He said work started in January with the schemes that had received approval and that was interrupted by Covid. He insisted that the council was not making excuses but trying to comply with the law. He reiterated that community groups must provide all the information needed. It is not a rubber stamp exercise. It is very serious and must be taken very seriously, he said. He added that there are penalties if this is not done correctly. He also added that the council could not manage the data within county hall because the law does not facilitate this a Laois County Council confirmed in January 2019 that it convened a workshop to address practical issues associated with the successful implementation of community CCTV schemes. The meeting was convened after the council reluctantly confirmed that it would assume the role of data controller required under the law for schemes to be set up. At the time the council said that the workshop was attended by existing and prospective CCTV groups in the county. In a statement issued at the time, the council said that the outcome of the meeting was that all groups would form a local Federation of Community Based CCTV Group Schemes that is to be independent of, but supported by, Laois County Council and that on this basis the council would agree to act as data controller under the 2006 legislation. On foot of this, the council said that all applicants for new CCTV schemes and associated funding are now free to submit applications for further processing and approval by the Department of Justice and Equality. The council said it is anticipated that new schemes can proceed to installation in the short term. Rating Action: Moody's affirms Grossmont Union HSD, CA's GO at Aa2; outlook stable Global Credit Research - 15 Jul 2020 Assigns initial Aa3 to the district's 2020 lease revenue bonds New York, July 15, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aa3 to the California School Finance Authority Lease Revenue Bonds (Grossmont Union High School District Project), Series 2020, expected in the amount of $33.2 million. Concurrently, we affirmed the Aa2 rating on Grossmont Union High School District, CA's outstanding general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) bonds, affecting about $615 million. The outlook is stable. RATINGS RATIONALE The Aa2 general obligation (GO) rating reflects the district's very large and growing tax base, average resident income measures, and solid financial position, which we expect to continue given management's prudent budgeting practices and a recent reversal of the district's declining enrollment trend. While general fund reserve levels are below similar rated peers, reserves are nonetheless stable and broadened by solid funds restricted for debt service. The rating also incorporates the district's moderately elevated but manageable debt, pension and other post-employment benefit (OPEB) liabilities. The above average legal strength of California school district GO bonds is also incorporated. The Aa3 rating on the Lease Revenue Bonds is one notch lower than the Aa2 GOULT rating. For a California school district, Moody's typically applies a two-notch distinction between a GO bond rating and the rating on lease-backed debt secured by a "more essential" asset. The two-notch distinction reflects both the absence of California GO bond security features, which provide uplift to the GO rating, and the weaker legal structure of a standard abatement lease, despite the more essential nature of the asset. In this case, we have narrowed the rating distinction to one notch, recognizing that the bonds materially benefit from the availability of certain special revenues, consisting of 11 redevelopment pass-through payments, which the district has covenanted to use as the primary source of funds for lease payments. Based on conservative projections of future pass-through payments, as well as a minimum account deposit of these special revenues which the district covenants to maintain, we expect these special revenues will provide moderate coverage, insulating the general fund. Story continues The legal provisions for the Lease Revenue Bonds include that the district will provide rental interruption insurance for 24 months and will not require a debt service reserve fund, which is a negative credit factor. This negative credit factor is partly mitigated by the district identifying additional unencumbered assets that could be substituted in an abatement situation. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. The coronavirus crisis is not a key driver for this rating action. We do not see any material immediate credit risks for Grossmont Union HSD as California's Senate Bill 117 guaranteed state funding during fiscal 2020, based on average daily attendance through February 29, 2020, and waived instructional time penalties, effectively holding districts harmless. For fiscal 2021, Governor Newsom and legislative leaders reached an agreement to preserve spending for K-12 schools and rescind a 10% cut proposed in the May budget revise, a positive. Increased deferrals will pressure cash flow, however we expect Grossmont Union HSD's adequate operating liquidity position and practice of issuing tax and revenue anticipation notes, to supplement cash flow, will mitigate these disruptions. RATING OUTLOOK The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the district will maintain an adequate financial position, despite reduced state aid growth, through prudent fiscal management. We expect the district's leverage will remain manageable, and the tax base will realize additional growth, albeit at a slower rate than prior years because of the coronavirus driven economic slowdown. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS - Substantial and sustained improvement in general fund reserves and liquidity - Significant reduction in long-term liabilities - Improved socioeconomic indicators FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS - Meaningful deterioration of financial reserves below current levels - Inability to manage growing pension costs LEGAL SECURITY The lease revenue bonds are structured as a standard California abatement lease, secured by the district's covenant to annually budget and appropriate lease payments for the use and occupancy of the leased asset. Lease payments are made by the district to the California School Finance Authority for the use and occupancy of Valhalla High School, which we consider more essential. Upon completion of the project, the district expects to substitute the transportation yard as the leased asset, which we also consider more essential. The district has also covenanted to utilize certain special revenues, consisting of 11 redevelopment pass-through payments, as the primary source funds for lease payments under the lease agreement. The district covenants to annually transfer all redevelopment pass through payments into a special payment account, with such amounts to be applied first toward lease payments and second to maintain a minimum account deposit of about $0.5 million each year. The GOULT bonds are secured by the levy of ad valorem taxes, unlimited as to rate or amount, upon all taxable property within the district. The portion of the levy restricted for debt service is collected, held, and transferred directly to the paying agent by San Diego County (Aaa Stable), on behalf of the district. USE OF PROCEEDS Proceeds of the bonds will be used to fund the construction and renovation of the district's transportation and bus maintenance facilities, collectively the transportation yard. PROFILE Grossmont Union High School District is located in eastern San Diego County and encompasses about 465 square miles. The district serves all of the cities of El Cajon, Santee and Lemon Grove, most of the City of La Mesa, a small portion of the City of San Diego (Aa2 Stable) and the unincorporated communities of Alpine, Dulzura, Jamul, Lakeside, and Spring Valley. The district currently operates nine comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, two alternative education sites, three special education facilities, a middle college high school program, a Career Technical Education Program, an adult education program and a day care facility. The district is also the sponsoring local educational agency for three charter schools. The district is the eighth-largest high school district in California as measured by enrollment, with 16,893 students projected for fiscal 2021. METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in the general obligation ratings was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in September 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1191097. The principal methodology used in the lease rating was Lease, Appropriation, Moral Obligation and Comparable Debt of US State and Local Governments published in July 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1102364. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Kirstyn Lee Lead Analyst Regional PFG West Moody's Investors Service, Inc. One Front Street Suite 1900 San Francisco 94111 US JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Tatiana Killen Additional Contact PF General Administration JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 2020 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved. CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. 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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... Pappu Yadav's Tweet Earlier this week, on Wednesday, former Union Cabinet Minister Dr Subramanian Swamy also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for CBI investigation for the same. According to reports, Subramanian Swamy also penned a letter to Mumbai police commissioner requesting all electronic evidence be sent for forensic examination. Actor Shekhar Suman and BJP MP Roopa Ganguly have asked for a CBI investigation into the case. Rhea Chakraborty's Tweet To Amit Shah The late actor's rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty through Twitter has also reached out to Amit Shah asking that the case be handed over to CBI. She wrote, "I have complete faith in the government, however in the interest of justice, I request you with folded hands to initiate a CBI enquiry into this matter. I only want to understand what pressures, prompted Sushant to take this step." Fans Trend #CBIForSushant On Twitter Fans have also been trending the hashtag #CBIForSushant on Twitter since Mumbai police began the investigation. Apart from family and co-stars, Mumbai police called in many celebrities for questioning including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rhea Chakraborty, Mukesh Chhabra, Sanjana Sanghi, Shanoo Sharma and others. It was also rumoured that Salman Khan would be called in for questioning, but DCP of Mumbai Police, Abhishek Trimukhe, has denied the reports. The issue of Purkeys mental health arose in the run-up to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of Jennifer in Kansas City, Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned her and dumped her ashes 200 miles away in a septic pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas. In accordance with current public health directives related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Midland has cancelled its annual Touch a Truck event. Instead, the community's families are invited to a contactless form of the event: DON'T Touch a Truck at Plymouth Park, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, at 1508 E. Wheeler St. At DON'T Touch a Truck, attendees will be treated to a "parade" of the many vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment the City of Midland uses to keep the community running smoothly, including police cars, fire engines, dump trucks, refuse trucks, construction equipment, and more. Flashing lights and an occasional honking horn should be expected. Vehicles will make two laps along a route beginning at the south end of Plymouth Park, traveling north on Plymouth Park Drive from E. Sugnet Road to Wheeler Street, exiting at Wheeler, then heading east on Wheeler, south on Swede Avenue, and west on E. Sugnet. Attendees are encouraged to spread out along the event's route and remain at least 6 feet away from others outside of their households. Kids can join in the fun by creating a sign to hold up as the drivers pass by. To provide a safe and efficient driving route for city vehicles, the following roadways will be closed to through traffic beginning at 9:30 a.m.: Plymouth Park Drive from E. Wheeler Street to E. Sugnet Road (access will be allowed for parking within the park) Plymouth Street at Plymouth Park Drive Hillgrove Parkway at St. Andrews Road E. St. Andrews Road at E. Sugnet Road Parking for the event will be available at the Plymouth Park Fun Zone and park shelter, Plymouth Pool, Plymouth Elementary School, and Northeast Middle School. Residents are asked not to park vehicles on streets along the event's driving route. Access to parking areas located inside Plymouth Park will close at 9:50 a.m. Residents attending DON'T Touch a Truck are reminded to wear a mask or facial covering when outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of 6 feet or more from individuals who are not members of their household. In the event of rain or severe weather, DON'T Touch a Truck will be rescheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, July 24. For more information, contact the Midland Parks & Recreation office at 989-837-6930 or recreation@midland-mi.org. -- Processed by Ashley Schafer, Ashley.Schafer@hearstnp.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jerome Cartillier (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Thu, July 16, 2020 09:25 552 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666b371b 2 World Donald-Trump,politics,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,US-presidential-election,US-presidential-race Free Pummeled from all sides, US President Donald Trump appears increasingly desperate to turn the page on the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic eating away at his prospects for re-election in November. "Great News on Vaccines!" he tweeted Wednesday, striking a hopeful note. But the reality is stubborn and sobering: 136,900 Americans have perished, confirmed new cases are on the rise in 40 out of 50 states, California announced Monday it was re-shuttering parts of its massive economy, and Trump is clashing with health experts tasked with fighting the crisis. With infection rates that have taken radically different trajectories than those in Europe, the United States is in bad shape -- and the president appears to be dodging the subject. At a Tuesday press conference where he denounced China but also vilified his Democratic rival Joe Biden, Trump barely mentioned the government's efforts to stem the COVID-19 outbreaks. On Wednesday he traveled to Atlanta -- not to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for an update on the pandemic response as cases spike in Georgia and elsewhere, but to deliver a speech on modernizing America's infrastructure. His attempt to discredit respected infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci, who has bluntly warned that the US strategy against the virus is faltering, has flopped. Even some voices within his own camp are urging the president to tackle the problem more seriously rather than blame scapegoats. "We don't have a Dr Fauci problem," stressed Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. "I think any effort to undermine him is not going to be productive." Obama weighs in The White House has sought to calm the waters, even as one of its own sowed new confusion. In an opinion piece Tuesday in USA Today, Trump's chief trade advisor Peter Navarro attacked Fauci with renewed animosity, writing that "Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on." The administration rushed to mop up the mess, saying Navarro bypassed normal White House channels when he published his op-ed. Trump himself castigated his advisor. Navarro "made a statement representing himself. He shouldn't be doing that," Trump told reporters. "We're all on the same team, including Dr Fauci." But Trump and the White House have repeatedly criticized Fauci in recent weeks. Fauci described the efforts as "bizarre," telling The Atlantic magazine that "ultimately, it hurts the president to do that." Amid the hubbub, Barack Obama weighed in with an appeal for apolitical action. "The latest data offers a tragic reminder that the virus doesn't care about spin or ideology," the 44th president tweeted Wednesday without naming the 45th, but clearly referring to Trump. "The best thing we can do for our economy is to deal with our public health crisis," Obama added. Biden, for eight years Obama's deputy, appears content to run a minimal campaign with few public appearances, but he nevertheless has sought to seize the momentum from a flailing Trump. Enjoying favorable polling, including in some traditionally Republican states, Biden denounced Trump for his "complete and utter failure" to combat COVID-19, as he shifts his own electoral strategy. On Tuesday, Biden aired his first campaign ad in Texas, a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1976 but where polls now put him in a dead heat with Trump. "I know the rise in [coronavirus] case numbers is causing fear and apprehension," Biden says over images of masked emergency responders, and loved ones communicating via webcast or through glass. "If you're sick, if you're struggling... I will not abandon you." There is palpable concern in the Republican camp. Biden leads Trump by nine percentage points in national polling, according to an aggregate compiled by RealClearPolitics. The Democratic challenger, 77, is also ahead in at least five of the major swing states that could decide the election: Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump for his part is sticking to a limited line of attack: portraying his opponent as a listless old man easily manipulated by the "radical left." But the 74-year-old Trump committed his own slip of the tongue Tuesday when he said Biden had been pulled to "the right" by Bernie Sanders, the leftist who fought him for the Democratic nomination. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) A neglected site where the Alaska territorial flag was designed, sewn and first flown will be demolished despite last-minute efforts by Alaskans and a preservation group to save it. The Seward City Council voted Monday to raze the Jesse Lee Home, once a Methodist-run facility where orphans and other displaced children from Alaska Native villages were sent, many after the Spanish Flu epidemic of a century ago. The homes most famous resident was Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Aleut who won a territory-wide contest in 1927 with his flag design seven gold stars fo... A small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine" sticker is held near a medical syringe. Dado Ruvic | Reuters Hackers linked to Russian intelligence services are trying to steal information about coronavirus vaccine research in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., security officials said Thursday. Officials said a group known as APT29 also known as "Cozy Bear" was likely to blame for the attack. They said the group, which is believed to be associated with Russian intelligence, used spear phishing and custom malware to target vaccine researchers. The U.S. Department for Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Security Agency, Canada's Communications Security Establishment and the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Centre joined forces in accusing Russia of the hacking campaign. "It is completely unacceptable that the Russian Intelligence Services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic," U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. "While others pursue their selfish interests with reckless behaviour, the U.K. and its allies are getting on with the hard work of finding a vaccine and protecting global health." "We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic," said Paul Chichester, director of operations for the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Centre, or NCSC. "Working with our allies, the NCSC is committed to protecting our most critical assets and our top priority at this time is to protect the health sector." "We would urge organisations to familiarise themselves with the advice we have published to help defend their networks." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the allegations Thursday, according to the state-owned TASS news agency. Peskov said that Russia had nothing to do with alleged cyberattacks on pharmaceutical firms and research institutions, adding that the claims were not backed by proper evidence. The group of hackers used spear-phishing to "obtain authentication credentials to internet-accessible login pages for target organizations," the NCSC said in a report Thursday. Spear-phishing is an attempt whereby cybercriminals send messages that appear as though they're from a trusted source to get their victim to reveal sensitive information. The trustees of the Kenya Ports Authority pension scheme and a lawyer have returned Sh70 million in an out-of-court settlement deal following a fraudulent land transaction. The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) had been seeking to recover the money from them since June 2017. The commission started the asset recovery proceedings against 11 people and trading companies who it claimed they obtained the Sh70 million from the Kenya Ports Authority Retirement Benefits Scheme. The proceedings were against lawyer Joseph Karanja Kanyi, Cecilia Faith Mango and Michael Kioko Maundu all trading as Kanyi & Company Advocates. Others are Kikambala Development Company Ltd, Ephraim Maina Rwingo, Jane Njeri Karanja, Seline Consultants Ltd, Fredrick Otieno Oyugi, Joy Kavutsi Asiema, Joan Zawadi Karema, Juma Benson Thoya, Harry John Paul Arigi and Maurice Milimu. The asset recovery case is nearly concluded save for the legal costs and interest which have not been agreed. But pending the recording of the final consent on closure of the case, Justice John Onyiengo has dismissed respondents' application to transfer the matter to the anti-corruption in Mombasa for the final determination. The respondents urged that the cause of action having arisen in Mombasa and them also being residents of Mombasa, the interest of justice would demand that the matter be transferred to Mombasa. But Justice Onyiengo rejected the application saying for the respondents to raise the issue when the matter is almost complete is perhaps an afterthought considering that the anti-corruption court in Mombasa is yet to start hearing cases. "If parties enter consent judgment for payment of the principle sum, they can submit on the award of costs and interest which can take a short time and the court shall deliver a ruling. "I hope with the electronic proceedings now in place, most mentions shall be conducted virtually hence no need to spend money by travelling to Nairobi," said justice Onyiengo. The commission moved to court following investigations into allegations that the trustees of the retirement scheme, popularly known as KPARBS 2012, had illegally and corruptly entered into a sale agreement for purchase of 100 acres of agricultural plots in Kikambala area at a price of Sh700 million. The scheme executed the sale agreement on December 18, 2014 with Kikambala Development Company Limited which was not the legitimate owner of the land and a deposit of Sh70 million was paid to the company. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The company was incorporated by lawyer Kanyi to act as a special purpose vehicle where he would be represented by a proxy Ms Jane Njeri Karanja, EACC told court. Later the company entered into a simultaneous sale agreement with the actual owners of the land, Amkeni Farm Limited, but failed to meet its obligation rendering itself unable to honour its agreement with the Scheme. It also failed to refund the sum of money after the rescission of the contract. The commission had earlier obtained injunctive orders against the respondents restraining them against dealing with the land parcels or transferring of Sh5 million held in British American Asset Managers LTD portfolio in the name of Karanja Kanyi. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. The situation in the border zones of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia remains calm. This is what ex-spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan told reporters in Ijevan today, adding that the situation remains unchanged at this moment. During todays government session, the emergency situations minister asked what color can the paramedics truck be painted in so that it doesnt become the adversarys target, and in response to this, Hovhannisyan said he wouldnt be surprised, if the enemy targeted a paramedics truck. Mexicos state oil firm Pemex has the highest number of employees who have died of the coronavirus, according to Bloomberg estimates of company data and official statements. On Tuesday, Pemex said in its daily bulletin that as of July 14, a total of 202 of its employees had died of COVID-19, while a total of 4,119 cases had been confirmed among active workers, retired workers, and family members. According to Bloombergs estimates, this is the highest number of deaths at any company anywhere in the world. The death toll at Pemex exceeds the deaths in the whole U.S. meat and poultry industry. The possible reasons for the high death toll at Pemex include many workers with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, Silvia Ramos Luna, general secretary of the National Union of Petroleum Technicians and Professionals, told Bloomberg in an interview. Other reasons possibly include the fact that it is difficult to practice social distancing on offshore oil platforms, as well as Pemexs initially slow reaction to take measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to Ramos Luna. A few days ago, Mexico became the country with the fourth-highest death toll from COVID-19 in the world, after the United States, Brazil, and the UK. More than 35,000 people have died of the coronavirus in Mexico. The health emergency at Pemex comes as the Mexican state oil firm is grappling with huge debts and low oil prices. Pemex is asking some of its contractors if they would agree to be paid for their services next year, people familiar with the payment situation at the company with US$105 billion of debt told Bloomberg earlier this month. Pemex also plans a debt swap for a total of US$22.4 billion long-term bonds. Mexicos leftist populist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador planned to make Pemex the pillar of a turnaround for the countrys declining oil production, but the oil price crash further deteriorated the finances and the debt of the Mexican oil company. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A woman who exploited her job as a court registrar to hack into a computer system and issue a false intervention order against a friend's ex-partner has been jailed for at least 13 months. Sara Borg had a front-row seat to the administration of justice for 10 years as a court registrar but misused that position of trust in October 2018 by posing as a lawyer in emails she sent for a friend involved in a custody dispute with his former partner. Sara Borg outside court last month. Credit:Eddie Jim On October 25 of that year Borg was working at Werribee Magistrates Court when at lunchtime she insisted a colleague take a break, locked the empty court room and used other registrars' log-in details to create an intervention order. She then used a magistrate's judicial number to issue it. Borg sent the order to South Australian police for it to issue against the woman and in the following days travelled interstate posing as her friend's lawyer. Had the order been served the woman would have had to give her child to Borg's friend but police and court staff became suspicious and traced the order to its origin. The point has been made by critics of the ongoing voter registration regime who argue strongly that it is problematic and legally untenable to allow a registered voter to vouch or guarantee for other eligible registrants to participate in the exercise. Their contention is that there cannot be a registered voter properly so-called unless and until the Electoral Commission conducts a validation or exhibition exercise of the register in the aftermath of the registration and furnishes the political parties with copies of the final voter's register. And so, they argue that merely going through the registration process and getting issued with a voters ID card does not make one a registered voter for various purposes including vouching for other eligible Ghanaians. I humbly invite you to come with me to look at the factual and legal arguments regarding the propriety of a registered voter vouching or guaranteeing for prospective registrants who are without any of the breeder documents (i.e. Ghana Card or passport) in order to entitle them to register in the ongoing ECs mass registration exercise. Once again, the point has been made that merely going through the registration process and being issued with a voters ID card doesnt make one a registered voter. And that, unless and until the voter exhibition exercise is complete and the final register is certified and issued to the political parties, no one can call himself a registered voter. And so, according to those belonging to this school of thought, it is legally untenable for any person who has been issued with a voters ID card merely by reason of him having gone through the registration process to guarantee for others since the purported guarantor is himself not a certified registered voter as yet. Here is the response. First of all, on the factual ground, this arrangement has been the practice since the advent of the Fourth Republic. Persons who have gone through EC registration process and issued with voters ID cards have always been entitled to guarantee for other prospective registrants. They never had to wait for voter exhibition to be conducted. And indeed, records have it that for each of the registration exercises conducted in the country since 1992, more than 80% of the registered voters got their names on the electoral roll through the guarantor system. So, what the EC is doing now is certainly not novel. On the legal argument, again, it is instructive to note that the guarantor system has since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, been provided for in all the Constitutional Instruments governing the registration of voters in the country. And of course, same has explicitly been provided for in C.I 126, the subsisting Constitutional Instrument for voter registration. More importantly, the point must be made that in law, theres something we call the *doctrine of presumption of regularity* So, on the basis of this doctrine, so long as one is registered, he is presumed to have gone through a regular act and therefore, the law sees him as a legitimate registered voter until otherwise proven. In other words, once a person has gone through the registration process and he is issued with a voters ID card, he is presumed to be a legitimate registered voter for all purposes including guaranteeing for other prospective registrants. The person doesnt have to wait until the exhibition exercise is undertaken and his name captured in the final register before he is entitled to guarantee for other eligible Ghanaians. Also note that, because it is the law that permits an innocent third party to depend on this doctrine in presuming that a person who has gone through the registration process and issued with an ID Card is a legitimate registered voter, the same law protects the third party when this presumption turns out to be wrong. So, what happens when it is eventually established that the presumed registered voter has some propriety deficit thereby defeating his competence to have served as a guarantor? If the presumption later turns out to be wrong, and that, the person (guarantor) did not qualify to register in the first place, all the people (maximum of ten per C.I. 126) that he had guaranteed for are protected by the law except he himself (the guarantor). This is because equity does not suffer wrong without a remedy. In the light of the foregoing, please be reminded that as much as you have a legal right to guarantee for at least 10 eligible Ghanaians who do not have any of the required documents, you alone will bear absolute responsibility for all propriety deficits surrounding your competence or otherwise to register as a voter as well as all propriety deficits surrounding the competence or otherwise of all the people you guaranteed for to register as voters. So, be guided accordingly. Assalamu alaikum Iddi Muhayu-Deen #ForGodAndCountry [email protected] Source: Iddi Muhayu-Deen/[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. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 12:47:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Pan Lijun, Liu Yanan NEW YORK, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China is on track for impressive economic recovery from the COVID-19 shock thanks to the nation's effective efforts to contain the outbreak, experts said. "We think the economic recovery is well on track," Lucy Qiu, emerging markets strategist at UBS Global Wealth Management, told Xinhua on Tuesday. "Effective containment of the pandemic and proactive policy support have supported Chinese economy's early recovery vs. the rest of the world," said Qiu. Industrial production and fixed asset investment, property and infrastructure investment in particular, have led the recovery so far, said the analyst. Export growth returned to positive in June while consumption remained weak, she noted, adding the country is capable of unleashing the potential of the sector with targeted policies,including support for micro and small enterprises and policies focused on protecting jobs. Experts expect China's GDP growth to stage noticeable progress in the second quarter and beyond, buoyed by effective virus control and policy stimuli. "According to our forecasts, quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth will be positive in 2Q 2020," Aditya Bhave, senior global economist at Bank of America, told Xinhua on Tuesday. While "it is too early to characterize the shape of the Chinese recovery," so far it has been relatively V-shaped as the economy has transitioned out of lockdowns, Bhave noted. Mehran Nakhjavani, emerging markets strategist at research firm MRB Partners, told Xinhua that China's economic readings for May and June have recovered, and "we see this pace continuing in the second half of the year." The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a global association of the financial industry based in Washington D.C., said in a research note last week that China has been on the path to normalization with industrial production and manufacturing posting a strong rebound. Noting "normalization in the retail sector could be an uphill battle," IIF analysts said they "are confident that overall activity is staging a V-shaped recovery." Meanwhile, experts noted that headwinds remain for China's economic recovery with weak external demand among the key challenges, as other countries are mainly lagging behind in virus containment and a second wave would postpone the global reopening process. Some also cautioned against risks from renewed U.S.-China trade tensions. Looking ahead, experts said that a combination of fiscal and monetary policies will continue to bolster the momentum in the world's second largest economy. "China's experience suggests a strong recovery in industry might be feasible in countries where virus containment measures are effective," said IIF analysts. Enditem Gables Residential, a leader in the management and development of multifamily communities, recently announced several key promotions of senior leaders within the organization. Gables is pleased to announce the promotion of Donna Summers to President of Gables Management Company. Donna will lead the operations of the company, while taking on additional responsibilities to grow the portfolio and drive operational performance. Donna has over 34 years experience in the property management industry, of which 26 years have been with Gables. She has held numerous Property Management and Operations positions overseeing multiple markets throughout the country. In her most recent role as Senior Vice President, Operations, Donna managed day-to-day operations and revenue management for the Gables owned, joint venture and third-party portfolios. Gables Chief Executive Officer, Sue Ansel, shares Donna is a smart, hard-working, and thoughtful leader, dedicated to her teams success and excellence. She started her career as a leasing associate and expanded her roles and responsibilities over the years through diligent effort. During her tenure with Gables, she has continued to expand her duties and influence, driving operations, and leading our associates. In her new role, I am confident that Donna will continue to build and lead a successful team. Donna holds her CPM certification and is an active member of the Institute of Real Estate Management. She has been a speaker at numerous industry events, she served on the Board of Directors for the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas and on the Legislative Committee for AAGD. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to lead a strong team of operations professionals, including a seasoned team of Senior Vice Presidents, while having the opportunity to continue to influence and impact our success here at Gables. Our industry continues to grow and innovate, and I look forward to driving both those processes for our company. I am truly #GablesProud and couldnt be more thrilled about this opportunity, said Donna Summers, President of Gables Management Company. Six other Gables leaders were recently promoted to the role of Senior Vice President. Dawn Severt, Chief Financial Officer stated, We are incredibly proud and eager to see what this leadership group will accomplish moving forward as we have already experienced the benefits of their past accomplishments. This new senior team of leaders will continue to achieve positive results, while influencing and mentoring their respective teams and all associates. Rob Presley, a 31-year veteran of Gables, was named Senior Vice President of Facilities Management and Quality Assurance. He has taken on an increased leadership role by adding the Quality Assurance department to his current responsibilities, including Facilities Management and Procurement. Rob has served as a positive role model for many Gables associates as he has demonstrated that hard work, persistence and commitment generate success as he has worked his way up through the Gables organization, originally starting as a service tech in Memphis in 1988. Gigi Giannoni, overseeing the marketing and public relations department, has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. Gigi has over 33 years experience directing extraordinary brand value, with over 10 years at Gables. Gigi continues to lead the efforts on the digital, marketing, brand and PR front while driving innovation and service. In her new role, she will continue with those responsibilities while leading new projects that will provide greater levels of customer service and enhance the consistency and expectations relevant to the customer experience. The Gables operations team has also promoted three remarkable leaders that will oversee the success of the Gables operating portfolio: Greg Gasior has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations. Greg has been with Gables for over 25 years and has held many significant roles during his tenure. Greg has been extremely influential throughout his tenure with Gables on many fronts from development and design to operational protocol and strategic alliances. Prior to his promotion, in addition to operations, Greg took on a role facilitating the design efforts on Gables renovations and new lease-ups working nationally with the investment and design teams. In his new role, Greg will be responsible for overseeing the east region including Massachusetts, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. Mary Hollands has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Third-Party Operations. Mary started with Gables as a leasing associate and has assumed increased responsibilities over the past 24 years, taking over the leadership of growing Gables third-party business and client services. She has brought structure, passion, and success to the efforts of growing the third-party business model, while developing, enhancing, and maintaining strong client relationships. Melanie Trapnell has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations overseeing the west region including Texas, Colorado, and California. Melanie is a rising leader within the Operations team. Over the last two years, her tenacity and drive have inspired others while she has taken on the responsibilities for many task forces and strategic initiatives. Melanies involvement in these task forces and initiatives has led to the successful implementation of new programs that enhance the day-to-day operations of the company. Jorgen Punda has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Investments. He has been a leader in the Gables D.C. office since joining the company over 13 years ago. Jorgen has led the development of many successful new projects in the D.C. market and has served as the key driver of Gables expansion in the Boston market. Jorgen exhibits cross-functional teamwork at its best working through each new development project in a truly collaborative fashion. Jorgen is a key thought leader on the Gables Investments team with a keen eye for creating company value through new real estate developments. Jorgen crafts projects that capture the essence of the local environment while simultaneously enhancing the neighborhood. We look forward to his continued success and leadership, stated John Akin, Chief Investment Officer. About Gables Residential Gables Residential is an award-winning, vertically integrated, real estate company and privately held REIT specializing in the development, construction, ownership, acquisition, financing, and management of multifamily and mixed-use communities. Gables Residential owns, develops, and manages communities in high-growth U.S. markets such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, South Florida, Southern California and metropolitan Washington, D.C. Gables also provides third party management services in the New York, Baltimore, Frederick, Tampa, Phoenix, Seattle, Charlotte, Central and North Florida markets. Gables manages approximately 30,000 apartment homes and approximately 225,000 square feet of retail space and has received national recognition for excellence in development, construction, management, sales, marketing, training, and benefits. These achievements reflect the impact of Gables experienced and dedicated team members, its superior knowledge of the markets served, and its expertise in development and management. For additional information about the company and its real estate portfolio and services, visit http://www.gables.com. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- After the citys 19th homicide, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Payne called for people to stop the violence. Payne talked about the violence Wednesday, July 15, after a 23-year-old man was shot and killed outside the Wealthy Market at Wealthy Street and Diamond Avenue SE. The shooting happened about 2:30 p.m. The alleged shooter called 911 and was taken into custody from a location across the street. He cooperated with police and is being questioned. This is upsetting to me that this senseless violence is occurring on the streets. There is no reason for it and it has to stop. He was on his way to a unity event when he heard about the homicide. This community deserves better and we can do better by working together. If you sense Im a little upset about this, I am and everyone should be, he said. Payne called on community members to do their part and help police by providing tips and information about crimes and violence. We cant do it alone, he said. Payne had a message for everyone affected by violence. Those that are out there doing it, stop. Enough is enough. Those that are out here being victimized, cooperate and work with us. We will work together to solve this, but this has to stop, he said. More from MLive Michigan reports 891 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, July 15; highest number in 2 months Grand Rapids man to stand trial for series of accidents that led to familys fire deaths Idea of US Ban for Chinese Communist Party Members Welcomed by Chinese Netizens After news reports emerged that the U.S. administration was considering banning Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members and their family members from traveling to the United States, the Chinese regime reacted angrily, while netizens welcomed the decision. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned Washington not to conduct such a ban during a July 16 press conference, while state-run media also ran articles criticizing the proposal. The New York Times first quoted anonymous sources in a July 15 report that the Trump administration was considering a travel ban on CCP members and their families. China has roughly 91.9 million Party members as of the end of 2019, according to state-run media Xinhua. Almost all Chinese government officials and military officers, as well as leaders of state-run firms and organizations, are Party members. In the past decade, amid Chinas political and economic instability, a growing number of CCP officials family members have immigrated to the United States and other Western countries, and transferred their assets overseas. Many top Party officials also send their children to study abroad in the United States, such as Chinese leader Xi Jinpings daughter, who graduated from Harvard University; Chinese premier Li Keqiangs daughter, who studied at Harvard in early 2010s; and Politburo standing committee Wang Yangs daughter graduated from Tufts University in Massachusetts. If there is indeed a travel ban in the works, those family members may choose to return to China and reunite with the officials, while many Chinese students will have to give up on their hopes of studying abroad. However, Chinese netizens were excited about the news, and urged the White House to launch this ban as soon as possible. On the social media platform Weibo, they expressed that the ban would stop corrupt officials from transferring their embezzled assets abroad, and prevent such officials from escaping China once they get in the regimes crosshairs. Twitter is banned inside China, but many use firewall-circumventing software to access the platform. China suffered from corruption for decades. [The travel ban] is the specific medicine that we have waited for so long, wrote Chinese netizen Baozi on Weibo on July 16. Chinese citizens wait in line to submit their visa applications at the US Embassy in Beijing, China on April 27, 2012. (Ed Jones/AFP/GettyImages) President Trump is the director of Chinas anti-corruption bureau! one netizen Qingchun joked on Weibo. Netizen Yan Yilin suggested that other members of the Five Eyes alliance, Canada, Australia, UK, and New Zealand, should join the United States in launching such a ban. Some overseas Chinese netizens even proposed: Every Chinese needs to claim on social media that he/she is not a CCP member before he/she enters the U.S. When applying for immigrant visas to the United States, travelers are asked whether they are a member of communist party organizations. They explained that a real CCP member wont dare to claim on Chinese social media that they are not, because Chinas internet surveillance would catch the message and authorities are likely to punish the official or his family for such disloyalty. Ban CCP Members On July 16, the Wall Street Journal quoted an insider who said senior Trump administration officials were discussing the travel ban. At a July 16 press conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she didnt know about the travel ban. If this is true, I think that the U.S. is very pathetic, Hua said. She also asked rhetorically, As the most powerful country in the worldaside from giving out threats and sanctionswhat other impression could the United States give to the world? Meanwhile, Hu Xijin, chief editor of state-run newspaper Global Times, posted a long article on Weibo to criticize the travel ban: It is a crime that damages world peace. It will push human beings into a 21th century that is filled with enormous uncertainty. After Hua and Hus comments, the Chinese words for Quit CCP (tuidang) became a popular keyword on Googles search term trends. Google Trends show that the Chinese words, Quit CCP, became a popular keyword on July 16, 2020. (Screenshot) In China, the regime doesnt allow CCP members to quit the organization. But in recent years, a grassroots movement has emerged among Chinese people around the world, to denounce and quit the CCP. According to the information available on the website of U.S.-based nonprofit the Tuidang Center, to date 360 million people have renounced their association with the CCP and its affiliated organizations. A city employee from Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, dispatched for disaster relief efforts to Kumamoto Prefecture, has been found to be infected with the novel coronavirus, the Kumamoto government said Monday. The employee from the city of Kagawa, a public health nurse in his 30s, had been assisting the management of evacuation centers set up at a junior high school in the city of Hitoyoshi and at a former high school in the town of Taragi, according to the Kumamoto Prefectural Government. He is not showing any symptoms. Kumamoto suffered widespread flood damage due to downpours caused by a seasonal rain front. The Takamatsu municipal employee was always wearing a face mask, so we believe the chance that he infected others at the evacuation centers is low, a Kumamoto official said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, parent agency of the Border Patrol, has removed four employees, suspended 38 without pay and otherwise disciplined 27. (File photo) The largest federal law enforcement agency has fired four employees for their participation in secretive social media groups that have featured violent, sexist and racist posts against migrants and members of Congress, the Los Angeles Times has learned. More than a year after launching an internal investigation into 138 employees for "inappropriate social media activity," Customs and Border Protection the parent agency of the Border Patrol has removed four employees, suspended 38 without pay and disciplined an additional 27 "with reprimands or counseling," according to data provided to The Times by the agency. Investigators from Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility determined that 63 of the cases roughly half were "unsubstantiated." Six cases remain open, and the Homeland Security Department's inspector general is also investigating. Last July, the office began looking into more than 60 current employees and eight former staff following reports of a secret Facebook group in which members used dehumanizing and derogatory language regarding Latina members of Congress and deceased migrants. The existence of the group, known as Im 10-15, the code used by Border Patrol for migrants in custody, was first reported by ProPublica, and at one point had 9,500 members. The group's vulgar posts included an illustration of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being sexually assaulted by President Trump and others that mocked migrants who drowned in the Rio Grande. Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately provide comment. The probe, which is not criminal, ultimately doubled the number of individuals under investigation, and included several additional private social media groups. Most of the cases deemed unsubstantiated involved personnel who reported themselves or others as part of the groups and provided information to investigators, but whose history showed they'd never posted or been active in them, an agency spokesperson said Thursday, declining to be named. Story continues Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), who said on Twitter she was "one of the Latina members of Congress targeted by the hateful attacks," but had not received information about the investigation from Customs and Border Protection, added that the investigation should include why the posts weren't reported by the group's members. "This secret FB page mocked the deaths of migrants," Escobar said, "vulnerable people dehumanized by a broken system." At the start of the investigation, Matthew Klein, assistant commissioner of the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility, emphasized that the privacy of the social media groups does not protect current or former employees from disciplinary action. It's far from the first investigation into offensive social media posts by Border Patrol agents or Customs and Border Protection officers. As of the beginning of the investigation, since January 2016, the office had investigated 80 individuals for inappropriate posts in at least three social media groups, Klein said at the time. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said Thursday that the four firings were "a step in the right direction to demonstrate that federal law enforcement agents cannot act with impunity." But he added that the lawmakers would be requesting more information "on why so few individuals were terminated and held fully accountable. For far too long, there has been a rancid culture and systemic problems within Customs and Border Protection," Castro said in a statement. The agency spokesperson said Thursday that the initial results of the investigation have been shared with Congress. "Customs and Border Protection addresses misconduct that violates our standards of conduct and is contrary to our core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity," the spokesperson said in a statement. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), whose panel has not yet received a report, said he was "glad" the agency was holding employees accountable for abhorrently racist and sexist social media posts." But, he added, "We still need to know how the agency is addressing its systemic cultural problems which have clearly been exacerbated by President Trumps extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric. Just the idea of Texas schools reopening their doors for fall 2020 has infuriated some Houston-area teachers and parents. They're not afraid to air their opinions and frustrations. As COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations escalate to an unprecedented rate across Texas, the thought of putting students' and teachers' health at risk in order to provide in-class instruction is unacceptable to teachers across the state. "It's pretty atrocious that in preparation for returning to school this fall, teachers are writing wills, getting medical power of attorney established and taking out extra life insurance," tweeted teacher Jessica Schwinn. 'IT'S SO SCARY': Houston, Texas teachers voice concerns about reopening schools this fall According to Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, Texas public school districts must reopen campuses for an in-person instruction in August in order to receive state funding, unless the governor issues a school closure or confirmed case of COVID-19. "On-campus instruction in Texas public schools is where its at, Morath said during a conference call with superintendents. We know that a lot of families are going to be nervous, and if they are nervous, were going to support them 100 percent. This is not sitting well with many Texas teachers. "Like everyone, I am desperate to send my kids back to school. Remote learning is hard on my wife and me, and terrible for our kids. If we thought it were safe to do so, we wouldn't hesitate. But there's no way we're going to risk their health or ours, IF IT'S NOT SAFE," tweeted Jeremy Konydyck. "@MikeMorath @GovAbbott Why is it okay for you guys to work from home but you're willing to sacrifice the lives of teachers, administrators, clerks, counselors, custodians, cafeteria workers? If in person classes MUST be offered, both of you should join us in the buildings," tweeted teacher Tania Andrews. SCHOOL REOPENING: With schools ordered to open next month, Texas teachers ask, 'Is it worth risking our lives?" "Last week, it was announced that Texas schools MUST reopen in the fall or risk states funding. This is extremely dangerous and covid cases here are increasing rapidly!! teachers in Texas cannot strike without losing their teaching certificates. they need help, call to action," tweets dirt prince. "And after that, we're going back to school like nothing happened, "tweeted Sol. Texas teachers say they are now forced to choose between their health or their jobs. Some with health issues have already resigned. According to a report by KHOU, HISD teacher Michelle Shah had a difficult time, struggling with a decision to resign, but she said the health of her children comes first. HISD teacher Meghan Hokom also recently resigned over the same concerns. Hokom had a heart transplant three years ago, and has a low immunity after the procedure. While several teachers express that they miss their students and the classroom, they just can't afford to not play it safe. "I miss my students. I LOVE my job. I want to return to work and be able to help students again, as this is my whole heart. More than that, I want YOUR kids to be safe. It's disgusting that @realDonaldTrump is playing politicas with school reopening. It is NOT safe in Texas," tweeted educator, Tammy Tashi. According to HISD officials, the district is still planning to start its academic year in late August, allowing 10 days for students who suffered a delay because of the coronavirus pandemic. The school year is expected to end on May 28. alison.medley@chron.com President Muhammadu Buhari has dispatched top security chiefs to interface with stakeholders in Zamfara on the lingering security challenges in the North West. The Inspector-General of Police, Muhammad Adamu, said the meeting with stakeholders would review the security situation in the area and adopt strategies to tackle the situation. Mr Adamu made the disclosure when the security chiefs paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Gusau, Ibrahim Bello, at his palace in Gusau on Thursday. Mr Adamu said the meeting was part of the federal governments efforts in tackling insecurity not only in Zamfara but the North West zone in general. We are sent to Gusau today by President Muhammad Buhari as part of his concern on security challenges in Zamfara and North West in general. Mr President gave us a matching order to stop the current insecurity in this region. He directed us to come and talk to the stakeholders and identify the remaining challenges that have not been taken care of, the IGP said. We need to strategise our efforts in addressing banditry, kidnapping and other forms of crimes in this zone. We hope during the close door meeting with stakeholders, we will be able to discuss the remaining challenges. During the close door, we are going to discuss several issues concerning security issues in the state and North West in general with a view to have a general solution, he added. In his remark, the emir thanked the security chiefs for the visit and pledged that the traditional institution would continue to pray and advise you in the efforts at tackling insecurity. We appreciate the efforts of security agencies, we want to advise that there is a need to strategise and adopt new measures in addressing the situation. We want efforts to be focused on tackling bandits informants existing within the communities. We have information that in this state some people are giving out on rent and selling houses to bandits. We are calling on the government to promulgate a law to ensure arrest and prosecution of those providing weapons to bandits, Mr Bello said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IGP was accompanied by the Directors General, Department of State Security Service, Yusuf Magaji, and National Intelligence Agency, Ahmad Rufai, Chief of Defence Intelligence, AVM Muhammed Saliu, and other top security chiefs. (NAN) CORAL GABLES, Fla., July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KipuHealth, an electronic medical records (EMR) company based in Coral Gables, Florida, announced it has named Hushabye Nursery of Phoenix, Arizona to its Community Partner Grant Program, which gifts technology products and expertise to outstanding, in-need 501(c)(3) non-profit facilities. Hushabye Nursery provides care for opioid-exposed newborns suffering from withdrawal symptoms, known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). Hushabye Nursery was founded by Tara Sundem and Kelly Woody, two caring neonatal nurse practitioners who saw a need for a sustainable model to assist infants recovering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. The center provides a holistic approach to help babies with NAS by treating mother and baby together for substance withdrawal without an emotionally painful separation. According to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), recent data show that nearly 80 babies across the United States are diagnosed every day with NAS. "We are honored that Kipu has included us in their grant program," said Tara Sundem, co-founder of Hushabye Nursery. "Taking care of a newborn with NAS requires an investment of time and resources, we need to make an emotional connection with the patients and scientifically monitor their medical healing. By using the KipuEMR platform, we will have more time to connect and care for our patients and eliminate the manual and time-consuming operations that have overwhelmed our staff for so long." "It is our privilege to assist Hushabye Nursery in their efforts to help the 'tiniest victims of the opioid crisis,'" said Jeffrey Fiorentino, CEO of KipuHealth. "It's a frightening fact that an infant is born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome withdrawal symptoms every 19 minutes. The work of this remarkable organization is truly heroic." "We understand the challenges that face today's non-profit treatment facilities," said Fiorentino. "Financial constraints preclude many non-profits from acquiring the latest and most efficient data technology. With the power and efficiencies that we've designed into the KipuEMR, The Hushabye Nursery staff will spend less time struggling with paperwork and more time serving the needs of infants with NAS and their families." KipuHealth is encouraged by the work of Tara Sundem and the Hushabye Nursery staff and is proud to be associated with such a dedicated, talented group of professionals who are determined to save new lives from the horror of infant withdrawal and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. About Kipu Kipu is a fully customizable end-to-end cloud-based EMR and billing platform for substance use, behavioral health and eating disorder treatment centers. Designed specifically forand withinthe treatment community, Kipu EMR is the largest and most widely implemented software in treatment of addiction, eating disorders and behavioral health used by over 80,000 medical professional daily in 1,600 treatment facilities through North America. To read the latest news from Kipu please visit: https://www.kipu.health/kipu-news/ CONNECT WITH KIPU: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Read our CEO Blog About Hushabye Hushabye Nursery is located in Phoenix, AZ and provides a therapeutic and inviting environment of short-term medical care to infants suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and their families. They offer non-judgmental support, education and counseling to families in a cost-effective manner. Press Inquiries: Christina Caballero [email protected] SOURCE Kipu Health Related Links https://kipu.health (Newser) Activists are calling attention to a tragic Pennsylvania case in which a 13-year-old boy has been charged, as an adult, with felony homicide after fatally shooting his 9-year-old brother during a game of "Cops and Robbers." The July 8 incident started when the brothers were playing in the living room around 6am; the younger one, Jonivan Wayne Snyder, at some point lay down on the couch to watch videos on his cellphone. The older one allegedly told police, per an arrest affidavit cited by PennLive, that he fetched a gun his father kept in the room and that he knew was loaded, pointed it at his brother's head, and pulled the trigger. story continues below The teen "related he did this because the victim was not complying with his commands while playing cops and robbers. He admitted to being angry with the victim for not listening to him," the affidavit states. An obituary for Snyder and a GoFundMe campaign raising money for his family both note he had a good relationship with his brother and sister. "We not only lost a 9 yr old precious little boy, but we could potentially (lose) his 13yr old brother," Snyder's aunt writes on the fundraising web page. "He is still just a child also." Activists echo that to People. "Kids who go into the adult court re-offend quicker with more violent crimes, with very, very poor life outcomes," one says. "That poor family, where's the sense of justice there? How is this making life better or solving anything that this family is going through right now?" (Read more Pennsylvania stories.) Two dozen residents and six employees at a Citronelle nursing facility are continuing to be treated Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19. Crowne Health Care, which has facilities all across Alabama, said in a statement that one of the residents is currently being treated in hospital. The remaining 23 residents have remained in the care of the nursing home. The six ill employees also avoided hospitalization. While there have been no deaths at the 69-bed-facility in Citronelle, Crown Health of Mobile experienced 25 deaths among residents and staff during first few month of the pandemic. Three employees and 22 residents died after contracting the deadly virus. In total, 69 residents and 59 employees at the Mobile facility tested positive. The Alabama National Guard was also called in to help control and clean the care home. We are blessed with great employees who are dedicated to our residents, said Crown health spokesperson Frances Coleman. They believe in our mission, which is to provide compassionate and professional care for the people entrusted to us. Coleman added: The virus continues to be active nationwide and locally, and we will not let our guard down against it. In Mobile, people in the age group of 25-49 have been infected in far greater numbers than other age groups. However, of the 147 recorded deaths as of July 14, a vast majority have come within the 65+ age group. Most of those people had underlying conditions and 59% were residents in long term nursing facilities, according to data released by Mobile County Health Department. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey committed $18 million to help nursing homes deal with the surge in infections and deaths. Some of our largest outbreaks of COVID-19 were within nursing homes and we must do everything possible to contain the spread within their walls, Gov. Ivey said in a press release earlier this month. Brian Kemp Kevin Cox/Getty Images Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued the city of Atlanta on Thursday after Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she would defy an executive order barring localities from issuing mask mandates. Kemp issued on executive order Wednesday extending Georgia's state of public emergency, and he said that masks are "strongly encouraged" but not required. Bottoms immediately pushed back, saying at a Thursday news conference, "It's my belief that the city of Atlanta still has the appropriate standing to mandate masks, especially as it relates to buildings and places that we own and operate." Kemp's lawsuit accused Bottoms and the Atlanta city council of violating his executive order by imposing an ordinance saying that not wearing a mask is punishable by a fine and up to six months in jail. "Local governments, such as the City of Atlanta, do not have the ability or authority to regulate and control the State of Georgia," Kemp's lawsuit said. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued the city of Atlanta on Thursday after Bottoms said she would defy an executive order barring localities from issuing mask mandates. Kemp issued on executive order Wednesday extending Georgia's state of public emergency, and he said that masks are "strongly encouraged" but not required. Bottoms immediately pushed back on the order, and she imposed a mandatory mask order saying that not wearing a facial covering is punishable by a fine and up to six months in jail. "It's my belief that the city of Atlanta still has the appropriate standing to mandate masks," Bottoms said at a press conference Thursday. "Especially as it relates to buildings and places that we own and operate." "I am not afraid of the city being sued," she added. Kemp's lawsuit against Bottoms and the Atlanta city council said that as governor, he "is vested with 'chief executive powers' by the Constitution of the State of Georgia ... It is the duty of Governor Kemp to insure 'that the laws are faithfully executed' and he is 'the conservator of the peace throughout the state.'" Story continues "Local governments, such as the City of Atlanta, do not have the ability or authority to regulate and control the State of Georgia," the suit said. "As the Mayor of the City of Atlanta, Mayor Bottoms is charged with implementing the terms of Governor Kemp's COVID-19 Executive Orders within the city; Mayor Bottoms does not have the legal authority to modify, change or ignore Governor Kemp's executive orders." Kemp also released a statement accompanying the lawsuit. "This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times," the statement said. "These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth." "Just like sending in the Georgia National Guard to protect those living in our capital city from crime and violence, I refuse to sit back and watch as disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens," the statement continued. "We will fight to stop these reckless actions and put people over pandemic politics." Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also sent out a tweet, writing, "The State of Georgia continues to urge citizens to wear masks. This lawsuit is about the rule of law." Meanwhile, Democratic officials across the state have skewered Kemp over his ban on mask mandates amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases. Georgia was one of the first US states to begin reopening its economy despite not meeting the White House's recommended criteria. The state has 131,275 confirmed cases to date and reported 3,441 new cases on Thursday, according to data from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But Kemp has repeatedly refused to require his constituents to wear masks and has issued previous executive orders saying that local ordinances cannot be more restrictive than state orders. "On one hand we're fighting COVID. On the other hand we're fighting our governor," Savannah mayor Van Johnson told MSNBC this week. "Our hands should be totally and unequivocally working to fight this virus, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, our governor has chosen and continuously chosen to make a public health emergency into some type of political issue." Read the original article on Business Insider BRUSSELS, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The General Court of the European Union (EU) on Wednesday rescinded an EU order which had required U.S. technology giant Apple to repay Ireland 13 billion euros (14.9 billion U.S. dollars) in tax arrears. The decision effectively canceled an August 2016 European Commission decision. The EU court ruled that the Commission had wrongly declared that Apple Sales International (ASI) and Apple Operations Europe (AOE), which were companies incorporated in Ireland but not tax resident in Ireland, had been granted a selective economic advantage and, by extension, state aid. The clear-cut decision by the EU General Court could now face another appeal at the top European Court of Justice. In its initial reaction, the European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said on Wednesday that Brussels was studying the judgment and would reflect on the next steps. Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Auckland Council Global Credit Research - 16 Jul 2020 Sydney, July 16, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Auckland Council and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion. "IMPORTANT NOTICE: MOODY'S RATINGS AND PUBLICATIONS ARE NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY RETAIL INVESTORS. SUCH USE WOULD BE RECKLESS AND INAPPROPRIATE. SEE FULL DISCLAIMERS BELOW." This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Key rating considerations are summarized below. The baseline credit assessment of a1 and rating of Aa2 rating reflects the Government of New Zealand's ("the Crown" - Aaa) well-established institutional framework for local government. Auckland Council's (the Council) standalone credit profile, as measured by the baseline credit assessment, reflects the Council's flexibility to adjust revenues and spending, and its strong governance practices as demonstrated by reporting and planning requirements. The Council's operational revenue strength underpinned by its unfettered right to adjust property rates. Story continues The Council exhibits a high debt burden which it forecasts will further increase to fund capital spending to support the increased infrastructure requirements resulting from rapid population growth. This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period. The principal methodology used for this review was Regional and Local Governments published in January 2018. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit. This publication does not announce a credit rating action. 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English French Rueil-Malmaison, 16 July 2020 VINCI Airports traffic at 30 June 2020 Passenger numbers down 61.4% in H1 2020 due to the global travel restrictions imposed to limit the spread of Covid-19 Introduction of hygiene measures across the entire VINCI Airports network Gradual return of commercial flights in June in the large majority of the network The travel restrictions imposed by many countries (including population lockdowns, border closures and quarantines) caused operations across the VINCI Airports network to grind to a near standstill in the second quarter of 2020. Passenger numbers fell nearly 98% in April and May compared with the same period the previous year. The recent easing followed by the gradual lifting of restrictions has enabled passenger traffic to slowly resume, although it still remains low (down 94.1% in June 2020 versus June 2019). Overall, with a total of 2.4 million passengers handled at the 45 airports in the VINCI Airports network1, passenger numbers in Q2 2020 contracted 96.4% compared with Q2 2019. Despite the collapse in commercial traffic, airports continued to operate flights throughout the period to meet the air travel needs of public services, such as repatriating people from abroad, transferring patients, healthcare professionals and medical equipment, and transporting freight. In collaboration with local authorities, VINCI Airports has put in place protective hygiene measures in all of its airports in order to facilitate the resumption of commercial traffic. These measures include in particular reducing passenger density through every stage of the passenger journey by managing flows accordingly, using floor markings to ensure social distancing in queues, requiring passengers to wear face coverings, providing hand sanitiser and ramping up cleaning, disinfection and ventilation of indoor spaces throughout the airport. The airports in Portugal saw passenger numbers in Q2 2020 shrink 97.5% year on year, primarily due to the travel restrictions imposed by other countries. Since borders in the Schengen area reopened on 15 June, traffic was able to resume gradually, for example on the routes connecting Lisbon and Porto to Lyon Saint-Exupery airport. saw passenger numbers in Q2 2020 shrink 97.5% year on year, primarily due to the travel restrictions imposed by other countries. Since borders in the Schengen area reopened on 15 June, traffic was able to resume gradually, for example on the routes connecting Lisbon and Porto to Lyon Saint-Exupery airport. In the United Kingdom, passenger numbers at London Gatwick and Belfast International was close to zero in Q2 2020 (down 99.6% and 99.2%, respectively, year on year). As of 15 June, a limited number of flights have been operating, primarily between the two airports. The announcement made by the government on 3 July lifting the quarantine imposed on people entering the UK from around 50 countries should lead to a more substantial recovery of passenger traffic. On 15 July 2020, Standard & Poors completed a review of Gatwick Funding Limited's Class A debt following which it maintained its investment grade rating of BBB but assigned it CreditWatch negative from Outlook negative2. On 24 June 2020, Moody's affirmed Gatwick Funding Limited's rating at Baa1, but revised the Outlook from stable to negative. On 30 April 2020, Fitch Ratings affirmed Gatwick Funding Limiteds BBB+ rating, but revised the Outlook from stable to negative. In Japan , passenger numbers in Q2 2020 fell 93.5% year on year across the three Kansai airports. It was hit hard by the foreign travel restrictions, in particular with China, and the advice from the Japanese government to avoid all but essential domestic travel. The easing of these measures from 19 June meant domestic travel was able to resume, leading to falls in June passenger numbers at Osaka-Itami and Kobe of 75.9% and 80.6%, respectively. , passenger numbers in Q2 2020 fell 93.5% year on year across the three Kansai airports. It was hit hard by the foreign travel restrictions, in particular with China, and the advice from the Japanese government to avoid all but essential domestic travel. The easing of these measures from 19 June meant domestic travel was able to resume, leading to falls in June passenger numbers at Osaka-Itami and Kobe of 75.9% and 80.6%, respectively. In Chile , traffic at Santiago airport remained very low throughout the 2 nd quarter (down 95.1% year on year) due to the closure of the countrys borders and its concerning health situation. , traffic at Santiago airport remained very low throughout the 2 quarter (down 95.1% year on year) due to the closure of the countrys borders and its concerning health situation. In France , passenger numbers were close to zero in April and May (down 99.9% on 2019). The end of travel restrictions meant domestic flights were able to resume on 2 June in Toulon (with Paris Charles de Gaulle), 8 June in Lyon, Nantes (Saint-ExuperyNantes Atlantique), and Clermont-Ferrand (with Paris Charles de Gaulle), and 15 June in Rennes (to and from Lyon Saint-Exupery). International flights resumed on 15 June from Lyon and Nantes, as borders with several countries reopened in the Schengen area. Nevertheless, traffic in June still remained very low (down 96.5%). , passenger numbers were close to zero in April and May (down 99.9% on 2019). The end of travel restrictions meant domestic flights were able to resume on 2 June in Toulon (with Paris Charles de Gaulle), 8 June in Lyon, Nantes (Saint-ExuperyNantes Atlantique), and Clermont-Ferrand (with Paris Charles de Gaulle), and 15 June in Rennes (to and from Lyon Saint-Exupery). International flights resumed on 15 June from Lyon and Nantes, as borders with several countries reopened in the Schengen area. Nevertheless, traffic in June still remained very low (down 96.5%). In Cambodia , foreign travel restrictions due to the pandemic were behind the near complete eradication of traffic during the quarter (down 97.7% year on year). There was no change to the situation in June. , foreign travel restrictions due to the pandemic were behind the near complete eradication of traffic during the quarter (down 97.7% year on year). There was no change to the situation in June. In the United States , domestic flights resumed in June, which accounts for the relatively moderate drop in passenger numbers at Orlando-Sanford airport (down 78.8% in Q2 and down just 60.2% in June). , domestic flights resumed in June, which accounts for the relatively moderate drop in passenger numbers at Orlando-Sanford airport (down 78.8% in Q2 and down just 60.2% in June). In Brazil , Salvador airport saw passenger traffic sink 91.4% in Q2 2020, sustained somewhat essentially by domestic flights. The announcement by the airline GOL that it would implement a base in Salvador with optimised connections is expected to support the recovery of passenger numbers forecast for Q3 2020. , Salvador airport saw passenger traffic sink 91.4% in Q2 2020, sustained somewhat essentially by domestic flights. The announcement by the airline GOL that it would implement a base in Salvador with optimised connections is expected to support the recovery of passenger numbers forecast for Q3 2020. In Serbia , passenger traffic at Belgrade airport for the quarter fell 94.6% in Q2 2020. The recent announcement by the airline Wizz Air that it would base a third plane at Belgrade flying a dozen new routes, including to and from Lisbon, confirms the appeal of the Serbian capital and is expected to support the recovery that began in late May (down 88.5% in June, compared with June 2019). , passenger traffic at Belgrade airport for the quarter fell 94.6% in Q2 2020. The recent announcement by the airline Wizz Air that it would base a third plane at Belgrade flying a dozen new routes, including to and from Lisbon, confirms the appeal of the Serbian capital and is expected to support the recovery that began in late May (down 88.5% in June, compared with June 2019). In the Dominican Republic, the border closures in place until July heavily impacted traffic, which was close to zero in Q2 (down 98.2%). The resumption of commercial flights on 1 July marked the start of a gradual return to operations. About VINCI Airports VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of 45 airports located in Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, France, Japan, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Served by more than 250 airlines, VINCI Airports' network handled 255 million passengers in 2019. Through its expertise as a comprehensive integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and operates airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise the management and performance of existing airport infrastructure, facility extensions and modernisation projects. In 2019, its annual revenue for managed activities amounted to 4.9 billion, for a consolidated revenue of 2.6 billion. www.vinci-airports.com About VINCI VINCI is a global player in concessions and contracting, employing 222,000 people in some 100 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, above and beyond economic and financial results, we are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. VINCIs goal is to build long-term value in this way for its customers, shareholders, employees and partners, and for society at large. www.vinci.com Appendix Passenger traffic and commercial aircraft movements at 30 June 2020 I. Passenger numbers by airport In thousands of passengers VINCI Airports share (%) Q2 2020 Q2 2020/ Q2 2019 change (%) H1 2020 H1 2020/ H1 2019 change (%) Rolling 12-month period Year on year change (%) Portugal (ANA) of which Lisbon (LIS) 100 243 -97.1% 5,651 -61.3% 22,212 -25.8% Porto (OPO) 100 87 -97.5% 2,285 -62.9% 9,237 -26.1% Faro (FAO) 100 36 -98.8% 798 -79.9% 5,834 -34.7% Madeira 100 11 -98.8% 624 -61.7% 2,363 -30.1% Azores 100 31 -95.5% 374 -65.7% 1,745 -27.4% TOTAL 409 -97.5% 9,734 -64.6% 41,392 -27.6% United Kingdom Gatwick (LGW) 50 45 -99.6% 7,545 -66.0% 31,892 -31.6% Belfast (BFS) 100 15 -99.2% 1,031 -66.8% 4,209 -35.5% TOTAL 60 -99.6% 8,576 -66.1% 36,101 -32.1% Japan (Kansai Airports) Kansai (KIX) 40 174 -97.9% 4,994 -69.0% 20,767 -31.0% Itami (ITM) 40 565 -86.1% 3,709 -53.1% 12,333 -25.1% Kobe (UKB) 40 103 -86.9% 814 -48.3% 2,604 -18.7% TOTAL 843 -93.5% 9,516 -62.8% 35,704 -28.3% Chile (Nuevo Pudahuel) Santiago (SCL) 40 273 -95.1% 6,388 -49.2% 18,447 -25.1% TOTAL 273 -95.1% 6,388 -49.2% 18,447 -25.1% France Lyon-Saint Exupery (LYS) & Lyon-Bron (LYN) 31 34 -98.9% 2,068 -63.7% 8,127 -29.3% Nantes Atlantique (NTE) 85 28 -98.7% 1,153 -65.7% 5,015 -25.3% Saint-Nazaire Montoir (SNR) 85 1 -86.3% 6 -49.4% 14 -32.7% Rennes Bretagne (RNS) 49 1 -99.7% 111 -73.5% 544 -38.9% Dinard Bretagne (DNR) 49 0 -100.0% 10 -77.3% 62 -40.3% Grenoble Alpes Isere (GNB) 100 0 -99.8% 204 -22.0% 250 -20.7% Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc (CMF) 100 0 -99.3% 104 -42.8% 127 -39.1% Toulon Hyeres (TLN) 100 9 -93.9% 72 -71.6% 326 -43.4% Clermont Ferrand Auvergne (CFE) 100 1 -98.9% 77 -64.6% 292 -33.0% TOTAL 74 -98.7% 3,805 -63.6% 14,756 -28.9% In thousands of passengers VINCI Airports share (%) Q2 2020 Q2 2020/ Q2 2019 change (%) H1 2020 H1 2020/ H1 2019 change (%) Rolling 12-month period Year on year change (%) Cambodia (Cambodia Airports) Phnom Penh (PNH) 70 57 -96.0% 1,144 -62.2% 4,149 -28.8% Siem Reap (REP) 70 0 -100.0% 618 -72.3% 2,317 -46.9% Sihanoukville (KOS) 70 8 -98.3% 188 -75.1% 1,113 -4.3% TOTAL 65 -97.7% 1,950 -67.5% 7,579 -33.3% United States of America of which Orlando-Sanford (SFB) 100 199 -78.8% 850 -50.2% 2,431 -23.5% Hollywood Burbank (BUR) MC* 176 -88.1% 1,224 -54.5% 4,443 -18.5% Atlantic City (ACY) MC* 32 -88.8% 301 -50.3% 831 -29.7% TOTAL 407 -85.0% 2,374 -52.5% 7,705 -21.5% Brazil Salvador (SSA) 100 130 -91.4% 2,144 -42.5% 6,198 -21.4% TOTAL 130 -91.4% 2,144 -42.5% 6,198 -21.4% Serbia Belgrade (BEG) 100 85 -94.6% 1,008 -61.4% 4,556 -21.3% TOTAL 85 -94.6% 1,008 -61.4% 4,556 -21.3% Dominican Republic (Aerodom) of which Saint-Domingue (SDQ) 100 22 -98.0% 1,029 -51.8% 3,411 -17.5% Puerto Plata (POP) 100 0 -99.8% 287 -47.4% 604 -31.8% Samana (AZS) 100 0 -99.9% 55 -47.2% 121 -30.6% La Isabela (JBQ) 100 1 -93.0% 19 -50.7% 64 -6.0% TOTAL 24 -98.2% 1,390 -50.7% 4,200 -20.2% Sweden Stockholm Skavsta (NYO) 90 14 -97.9% 358 -66.3% 1,572 -29.2% TOTAL 14 -97.9% 358 -66.3% 1,572 -29.2% Costa Rica Liberia (LIR) 45 0 -100.0% 428 -42.1% 913 -22.8% TOTAL 0 -100.0% 428 -42.1% 913 -22.8% *MC : Management Contract Total VINCI Airports 2,384 -96.4% 47,671 -61.4% 179,123 -28.1% II. Commercial movements by airports Commercial flights (ATM) VINCI Airports share (%) Q2 2020 Q2 2020/ Q2 2019 change (%) H1 2020 H1 2020/ H1 2019 change (%) Rolling 12-month period Year on year change (%) Portugal (ANA) incl. Lisbon (LIS) 100 3,529 -93.8% 46,005 -55.9% 159.379 -26.2% Porto (OPO) 100 1,722 -93.2% 19,955 -56.2% 70,888 -24.7% Faro (FAO) 100 616 -96.8% 6,344 -76.0% 38,706 -34.3% Madeira 100 544 -92.0% 5,593 -56.3% 18,865 -29.3% Azores 100 1,957 -76.1% 6,711 -50.8% 22,553 -22.5% TOTAL 8,382 -92.8% 84,640 -58.3% 310,481 -26.9% United Kingdom London Gatwick (LGW) 50 670 -99.1% 50,800 -62.9% 194,543 -31.2% Belfast (BFS) 100 2,079 -84.5% 11,055 -55.4% 35,453 -30.3% TOTAL 2,749 -96.9% 61,855 -61.7% 229,996 -31.1% Japon (Kansai Airports) Kansai (KIX) 40 11,832 -77.4% 51,019 -50.1% 155,466 -19.9% Itami (ITM) 40 13,632 -60.6% 46,525 -32.1% 116,482 -15.9% Kobe (UKB) 40 3,844 -48.9% 12,381 -15.3% 29,149 -2.5% TOTAL 29,308 -69.0% 109,925 -40.7% 301,097 -16.9% Chile (Nuevo Pudahuel) Santiago (SCL) 40 3,371 -90.7% 42,483 -47.4% 118,957 -25.0% TOTAL 3,371 -90.7% 42,483 -47.4% 118,957 -25.0% France Lyon-Saint Exupery (LYS) & Lyon-Bron (LYN) 31 2,248 -93.1% 26,094 -57.5% 87,078 -30.0% Nantes Atlantique (NTE) 85 542 -97.1% 11,483 -62.6% 43,960 -28.7% Saint-Nazaire Montoir (SNR) 85 112 -75.8% 586 -36.3% 1,317 -23.0% Rennes Bretagne (RNS) 49 75 -98.0% 1,884 -71.9% 8,381 -38.3% Dinard Bretagne (DNR) 49 82 -77.8% 201 -61.9% 934 -30.8% Grenoble Alpes Isere (GNB) 100 52 -87.3% 2,530 -17.2% 3,346 -15.1% Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc (CMF) 100 213 -74.2% 3,885 -25.7% 5,511 -19.4% Toulon Hyeres (TLN) 100 601 -81.6% 1,851 -62.2% 8,069 -28.8% Clermont Ferrand Auvergne (CFE) 100 262 -89.6% 2,100 -56.1% 6,453 -32.8% TOTAL 4,187 -93.3% 50,614 -57.2% 165,049 -29.6% Commercial flights (ATM) VINCI Airports share (%) Q2 2020 Q2 2020/ Q2 2019 change (%) H1 2020 H1 2020/ H1 2019 change (%) Rolling 12-month period Year on year change (%) Cambodia (Cambodia Airports) Phnom Penh (PNH) 70 1,766 -86.8% 13,613 -49.9% 42,438 -21.6% Siem Reap (REP) 70 90 -99.0% 7,555 -64.9% 25,808 -39.7% Sihanoukville (KOS) 70 175 -95.8% 2,644 -65.5% 12,812 +1.8% TOTAL 2,031 -92.4% 23,812 -57.7% 81,058 -26.0% United States of America incl. Orlando-Sanford (SFB) 100 2,481 -64.8% 7,926 -38.6% 19,396 -17.5% Hollywood Burbank (BUR) MC* 16,102 -56.8% 47,015 -33.3% 123,046 -9.5% Atlantic City (ACY) MC* 372 -81.9% 2,520 -41.1% 6,350 -24.2% TOTAL 18,955 -59.1% 57,461 -34.4% 148,792 -11.4% Brazil Salvador (SSA) 100 4,999 -69.0% 24,773 -33.6% 65,743 -17.7% TOTAL 4,999 -69.0% 24,773 -33.6% 65,743 -17.7% Serbia Belgrade (BEG) 100 3,090 -82.9% 15,452 -51.2% 54,177 -20.7% TOTAL 3,090 -82.9% 15,452 -51.2% 54,177 -20.7% Dominican Republic (Aerodom) incl. Saint-Domingue (SDQ) 100 1,740 -83.3% 11,625 -43.6% 34,334 -15.5% Puerto Plata (POP) 100 22 -98.5% 1,871 -50.7% 4,280 -32.5% Samana (AZS) 100 2 -99.3% 364 -54.3% 884 -36.2% La Isabela (JBQ) 100 670 -71.0% 2,735 -44.3% 7,356 -22.2% TOTAL 2,440 -83.2% 16,641 -45.0% 47,004 -19.2% Sweden Stockholm Skavsta (NYO) 90 199 -95.1% 2,744 -59.2% 10,201 -26.6% TOTAL 199 -95.1% 2,744 -59.2% 10,201 -26.6% Costa Rica Guanacaste (LIR) 45 24 -99.3% 4,382 -45.6% 10,288 -23.9% TOTAL 24 -99.3% 4,382 -45.6% 10,288 -23.9% *MC : Management Contract Total VINCI Airports 79,735 -84.9% 494,782 -50.9% 1,542,843 -23.8% 1 Data at 100% estimated to 16 July 2020. 2019 figures including airport passenger numbers over the full period. 2 Refer to the London Stock Exchange press release of 15 July 2020, available on the following link: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/79IU/credit-rating-update/14615439 This press release is an official information document of the VINCI Group. PRESS CONTACT VINCI Press Department Tel: +33 (0)1 47 16 31 82 media.relations@vinci.com Attachment The Pakistan High Commission has filed a habeas corpus petition in Gujarat High Court seeking custody of a 28-year-old Pakistani resident who is "stuck" in Surat after his arrest in a fake currency case in 2016. The commission has sought a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the "illegal detention" of the man despite his acquittal. The commission has said in the petition that "the life and liberty of the illegal detainee are in danger at the hands of Respondents (state government) and the future uncertain as he faces darkness around him, with denial of any hearing, by any authority." The strongly worded petition, filed by Muni Akhtar Satti, an employee of the commission in Delhi, says that Sajjad Burhanuddin Vora, a Karachi student, is in "illegal detention by the people, who are responsible for human right protection and are guardians of law....because tolerance of such illegal detention, would amount to acceptance of systematic subversion and erosion of rule of law...because the illegal detention of the illegal detainee is the worst kind of crime in a civilized society...because it is the negation of rule of law. It tarnishes the image of the Nation..." Before this petition, Vora had approached the high court seeking permission to be allowed to go back and this continues to be pending. The division bench of Justices Sonia Gokani and NV Anjari allowed the petition of Vora to be joined as party respondent. Earlier, on Tuesday the bench asked the lawyer representing the Commission to file an affidavit "as to in what capacity he (Satti) is permitted to espouse the cause of the corpus (Vora) and that he is authorised by the Pakistan High Commission." "Vora is in illegal custody in Surat as he is not allowed to leave the country despite his acquittal by the trial court which was confirmed by the high court," said Vora's lawyer Aum Kotwal. In November 2016, Vora, belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community, had come to India to participate in religious functions in Surat and Mumbai where his relatives also live. In December, he was arrested by the Surat Railway Police with fake currency. He was tried by a sessions court which acquitted him in August 2018. The state government challenged the order in the high court which passed an order in July 2019 upholding the lower court's order. Vora made representations to local police and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) requesting for an exit permit. FRRO sought a No Objection Certificate from local police which has not responded to Vora's letters since September 2019. "My client has been running from pillar to post to get an exit permit but to no avail. Finally, we filed a petition in the high court where the state government stated that it is going to challenge the acquittal in Supreme Court but even after a year nothing has been done and therefore, the court has sought paper-trail from the government in the next hearing on July 21," said Kotwal. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. As the coronavirus still looms over the US, everyone is looking to technology for help with keeping the pandemic at bay even the Navy. The Naval COVID Rapid Response Team plans to implement a proximity tracking program to determine how effective social distancing policies are at limiting the spread of the virus. The group is exploring options for a wearable that stores records of users within six feet of each other and is capable of identifying 100 different devices in close proximity under one minute. The military group is currently taking submissions for existing commercial or advanced prototype technologies for the program, but notes devices cannot store personal information or have WiFi and GPS, as the services can be a security threat. Scroll down for video The US Navy is exploring options for a wearable that stores records of users within six feet of each other and is capable of identifying 100 different devices in close proximity under one minute (stock photo) The US Navy has been hit the hardest among the military branches, due to a number of soldiers living closely on battle ships. It was revealed in April that at least 40 ships had cases on board and 26 of them were still infected more than 3,000 service members tested positive and two had died. Following multiple outbreaks, officials are now looking into technology to stop the coronavirus from spreading. 'The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Naval COVID Rapid Response Team (NCR2T) is seeking comments on draft requirements, market research, potential sources, and best practice information for commercially available or advanced prototype technologies for a proximity tracking program, reads a report. The Naval COVID Rapid Response Team plans to implement a proximity tracking program to determine how effective social distancing policies are at limiting the spread of the virus, following a number of coronavirus outbreaks among the group The program is looking to use a wearable that is equipped with storage and processing stations, allowing the technology to capture data points showing total time and at what distance' individuals wearing them are near others, Nextgov reports. 'The proximity records will primarily be used to identify those individuals that were too close for too long to a person that has tested positive for COVID-19,' officials wrote in the request. 'Secondarily, this data will be used to determine if social distancing policies put in place by the government employers are effective.' The request also requires wearables be no larger than three square inches, similar to the size of a large men's watch, and not exceed a thickness of 3/8 of an inch. However, unlike traditional wearables, the one chosen by the Navy cannot have the ability to store any personal identifiable information or health data of the wearer. The Navy is also interested in other features to promote social distancing, such as haptic feedback that alerts users when they are too close to someone The battery life must last at least five days, but a 30 cycle is preferred. However, unlike traditional wearables, the one chosen by the Navy cannot have the ability to store any personal identifiable information or health data of the wearer. The Navy is also interested in other features to promote social distancing, such as haptic feedback that alerts users when they are too close to someone. It's unclear from the request for information if the Navy would use the wearables on deployed ships, where the spread of the coronavirus has run rampant in the past or at bases. According to the report, devices 'are only intended to be worn while at work.' 'At some point or at multiple times during the day, the proximity records will be transferred to a station(s) that will store the records for all employees of a given organization where all of these records can be viewed and analyzed.' University of Cincinnati physicists celebrated a new world record as part of a research team working on a Japanese particle collider. The SuperKEKB collider observed a record rate of particle collisions, referred to as luminosity, since launching in 2018. And this is only the beginning. The collider is expected to top that record 40 times over in coming years as researchers try to explain basic principles of the universe. UC physicists Kay Kinoshita and Alan Schwartz are pursuing several topics including dark matter, which is believed to make up a majority of the matter in the universe but hasn't been observed, at least directly. "We hope our accelerator experiment can detect dark matter if it exists in a way that hasn't been probed before," Kinoshita said. More collisions mean more opportunity to explore puzzles of particle physics that could help explain fundamental forces in the universe: like why matter prevails over antimatter. The accelerator fires positrons and electrons at each other around a 3-kilometer ring. When they collide, they often create new matter. "We observe dark matter indirectly from astronomical observations. The question is what is it?" Kinoshita said. "This experiment is looking in new corners of possibility that have opened up." Particle physicists are especially excited about SuperKEKB because of its potential for observing more unusual phenomena. Schwartz and his students designed and built one of the particle detectors at the collider. They used precision-crafted bars of optical-grade quartz that they assembled on site to identify new particles created by the collisions. "This milestone represents a significant advance in accelerator design," Schwartz said. "The accelerator uses the so-called 'nano-beams' approach, in which the beams are squeezed in the vertical direction to become very thin." Schwartz said this greatly increases the likelihood of electrons colliding with positrons traveling at each other at nearly the speed of light. Schwartz said SuperKEKB will be flattening the twin beams even more to just 60 nanometers, or less than 1% the diameter of a human hair. Likewise, the collider will generate more electrons and positrons to generate more collisions and more data. The global pandemic has interrupted international travel for the UC physicists. But SuperKEKB has continued to run, and the Belle II experiment to accumulate data, thanks to members around the world taking turns around the clock to monitor its operation remotely. Kinoshita finished training to supervise one of these remote shifts. "It is pretty intense. These experiments are incredibly complex. So many things can go wrong," she said. But Kinoshita has been preparing for this experiment her entire 38-year academic career. She has been working in experimental particle physics since 1982. "It's fun because it's challenging. You know you're working on things nobody has ever worked on before," she said. ### Protesters march in Graham, N.C., on July 11, 2020. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images) North Carolina City Approves Reparations, Apologizes for Role in Slavery A city council in North Carolina unanimously passed a resolution that apologized for the citys role in slavery and is aimed at leading to reparations, or payments to black residents. The Asheville City Council passed the resolution 7-0 this week. The City Council and the City of Asheville apologizes and makes amends for participating in and sanctioning the enslavement of black people, for its enforcement of segregation, and for carrying out an urban renewal program that destroyed multiple, successful black communities, the resolution states. Reparations arent in the form of direct payments. City Council members directed Ashevilles manager to establish a process that would allocate money to specifically address the creation of generational wealth and to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the black community. Councilman Keith Young, a Democrat, mentioned the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. The blood capital that we have banked to spend today to fight for significant change came predominantly not from our allies, but from black men, women, and children who died, Young said. It is simply not enough to remove statues. Black people in this country are dealing with issues that are systemic in nature, he added. Slavery of black people in the United States was legal until the 1860s, when it was abolished by the 13th Amendment. Ashevilles population is 83 percent white and about 12 percent black. Residents had mixed reactions; most who spoke were in support of the resolution. Rob Thomas, community liaison for the Racial Justice Coalition, which helped advocate for reparations, told members that this is a really, really good gesture as far as the foundation of what we can build. Another public speaker, Jacqueline Morrison, pointed out that the citys police chief, city manager, and some council members are black. Thats an indication that blacks can succeed in Asheville. So, to dump this all on us white folkI think is offensive, she said. The Black Asheville Demands coalition, informally affiliated with Black Lives Matter, had demanded the city fund reparations. A number of residents spoke in favor of reparations during the City Council hearing. One said that the funds should come out of the Asheville Police Department budget. City officials said theyre working on a response to demands by the Black Asheville Demands coalition. The coalition, which is informally affiliated with Black Lives Matter, had demanded the city fund reparations. Its also calling for defunding the Asheville Police Department by 50 percent and redirecting the money to supporting businesses owned by black people, improving education for minorities, and funding an all-civilian oversight committee that would oversee the department. Axiomatics is the pioneer and the thought leader in dynamic and attribute based access control. As the market matures, more businesses require an externalized dynamic authorization solution. Axiomatics, the leader in externalized, fine-grained dynamic authorization, today announced that KuppingerCole has profiled its Dynamic Authorization Suite, giving the platform high ratings across all functionalities. The Market Compass report focuses on the dynamic authorization management market and rates vendors based on the security, deployment, functionality and usability of centrally managed authorization services. As organizations expand their IT infrastructure with multiple cloud platforms and applications, they require consistent access control across the company to permit or deny a user's access request to resources, in real-time. The Axiomatics Dynamic Authorization Suite is the fastest, most accurate and comprehensive dynamic and externalized authorization solution available. The suite provides externalized authorization through Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) for applications, databases, big data, APIs and microservices. "The Axiomatics Dynamic Authorization Suite offers an extensive solution, supporting a variety of deployment environments and application integration requirements. In addition, enterprise policy analysis and maintenance will benefit from Axiomatics reverse query facility to browse user entitlement lists," said Graham Williamson, senior analyst for KuppingerCole and author of the report. "Another strength of Axiomatics is that they offer support for intercepting and controlling database access and access to big data environments." The report also highlights other strengths of the Axiomatics Dynamic Authorizations Suite, including: Provides a broad set of integrations with other solutions Standards support with participation in XACML and JSON development Flexible support for cloud migration Policy-based, dynamic filtering for relational databases Axiomatics is the pioneer and the thought leader in dynamic and attribute based access control. As the market matures, more businesses require an externalized dynamic authorization solution, said Babak Sadighi, CEO and founder of Axiomatics. KuppingerColes report reinforces our dedication to providing state-of-the-art IT-security products as the market grows and healthy competition enters this potentially massive market. To read the report in full, please visit https://www.axiomatics.com/resources/kuppingercole-report-market-compass-dynamic-authorization-management/. For more information about Axiomatics, please visit https://www.axiomatics.com. For more information on KuppingerCole, visit https://www.kuppingercole.com. About Axiomatics Axiomatics is the leading provider of fine-grained, dynamic authorization delivered with Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) for applications, data, APIs and microservices. Axiomatics Dynamic Authorization Suite is utilized by government agencies and Global Fortune 5000 companies to enable digital transformation, share and safeguard sensitive information, meet compliance requirements and minimize data fraud. Axiomatics innovative solutions allow enterprises to share sensitive, valuable and regulated digital assets but only to authorized users and in the right context. To learn more, please visit http://www.axiomatics.com or @axiomatics. President Trump replaced his 2020 campaign manager on Wednesday evening as numerous polls showed the incumbent trailing behind Democratic rival Joe Biden. Trump promoted Bill Stepien, a longtime aide, to campaign manager while Brad Parscale will continue as a senior campaign adviser. Parscale will also continue to oversee the campaigns digital strategy arm. Both were heavily involved in our historic 2016 win, and I look forward to having a big and very important second win together, Trump wrote in a Facebook post. This one should be a lot easier as our poll numbers are rising fast, the economy is getting better, vaccines and therapeutics will soon be on the way, and Americans want safe streets and communities! The move comes as polls show Biden with a wide lead, with RealClearPolitics polling averages giving Biden almost 49 percent to Trumps 40 percent as of Wednesday. Biden has consistently bested Trump in these polling averages since fall 2019. In a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released on Wednesday, 51 percent of likely voters said they would choose Biden while 40 percent said they would back Trump. President Trump has hit the trifecta in the misery market, commented Peter Hart, a Democratic strategist who worked on the poll. The three key indicatorsjob rating, personal feelings, attitudes on re-electionare all deeply submerged underwater. However, the poll showed that 54 percent of voters approved of Trumps handling of the economy. A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday also found that most voters believe there are secret Trump voters who wont tell others of their intentions. The media consistently reports that Biden is in the lead, but voters remember what happened in 2016. The specter of a secret Trump vote looms large in 2020, Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said. More from National Review Photo: Twitter Beware donkeys on the runway. A Bluebird Aviation De Havilland Dash 8-400 suffered a landing gear collapse and burst into flames when it tried to avoid a donkey on the runway in Beledweyne, Somalia, on Tuesday. The charter freight flight had just arrived from Djibouti with three crew on board, according to aviation website aeroinside.com. The captain reported they were landing when a donkey entered the runway and was struck by the plane. The aircraft skidded off the sand/gravel runway, injuring all three crew members. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including the fracture of its right wing. Somalia's CAA reported the aircraft was carrying food in support of the charitable African Union Mission in Somalia. The aircraft had been chartered by the U.S. Department of Defence. The incident is under investigation. Reportedly many of the jail inmates and police personnel deployed in the jail have been infected with COVID-19. Hyderabad: The committee for the defence and release of Dr GN Saibaba urged the Maharashtra government to release him in view of Covid-19 outbreak in Nagpur prison where he is lodged and the already precarious state of his health. Reportedly many of the jail inmates and police personnel deployed in the jail have been infected with COVID-19. Speaking to The Asian Age, G. Ramadevudu, Saibabas younger brother, who lives in Hyderabad said, In view of Covid-19 crisis, I have applied for parole for the second time on June 16. We havent received any reply from the jail authorities. My brother Saibaba who was an ex-Delhi university professor is 90% physically challenged and has remained incarcerated in the Nagpur central jails and a cell (solitary confinement) since his conviction on March 7, 2017. Compounding the situation, Ramadevudu added is the fact that their 74-year-old mother has been diagnosed with high grade non-Hodgkinson lymphoma cancer in part of the immune system called the lymphatic system. It limits the bodys ability to fight infection. Saibaba himself suffer from heart and kidney issues and recently he was diagnosed with gallstones and surgery was recommended. However, as there is no one to take care of him, he was couldnt undergo the surgery. Considering all this, Ramadevudu urged the jail authorities for parole. When he recently spoke to us, Saibaba complained of severe pains in body parts like shoulders and hands. One of the prisoners near his cell tested positive for Covid-19. The disease has reached very close to me, Saibaba is reported to have said, and that it was only a matter of time since it reaches his cell as he is highly vulnerable due to existing co-morbidities. My brother Saibaba (53) is wheelchair-bound. If infected with Covid-19, he cannot recover and survive on his own, said Ramadevudu. The first time Ramadevudu applied for parole, the Nagpur jail authorities rejected the application "based on the 'false' report by Telangana state police claiming that my residence in Jawaharnagar and nearby areas MoulaAli are in containment zones. But, actually, they are not. However, now the definition of containment has been changed, we have applied for parole for the second time and its almost a month now but we are yet to hear from the jail authorities." Outraged at this inhumane treatment of a sick, disabled man, Prof. G. Haragopal, chairman of the committee for the defence and release of Dr. G. N. Saibaba said "In view of the precarious health condition of Dr. G. N. Saibaba, we appeal to the Maharashtra state government and the central government to release him by granting him bail or parole immediately so that he can avail appropriate medical treatment either in Hyderabad or Delhi where his family members are living," The Huawei Oil & Gas Virtual Summit 2020 exploring 'Data to Barrel' gathered global customers, industry partners, and thought leaders, including representatives from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Schlumberger SIS, and the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) of French giant Total, to share their experiences of helping oil and gas companies increase profits while cutting costs, creating added value through digital transformation. Key suggestions on how the industry can overcome challenges at this particular point in time, adapting to the new normal of the pandemic and post-pandemic periods, were also fully explored. In the first half of 2020, due to the global economic downturn amid the spread of Covid-19, international oil prices fell to a low of 30 dollars per barrel. In May, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures prices even turned negative, a historically unprecedented event. Undoubtedly, the oil and gas industry has entered an extremely difficult period and is witnessing changes, the likes of which have not been seen for over a century. Huawei has been working hard to help oil and gas customers cope with these current challenges. David Sun, Vice President of Huawei's Enterprise Business Group and Director of the Global Energy Business Department, noted that, over the past decade, Huawei has partnered with customers in the oil and gas industry and together witnessed oil prices peak at 120 dollars per barrel, as well as fall to that low of 30 dollars. Along the way, Huawei's role has changed and upgraded with the support and help of oil and gas companies. Evolving from a vendor that simply provided switches, routers, and network devices, to becoming a full partner dedicated to providing digital transformation solutions, Huawei works with partners and customers alike to jointly promote the application of 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and big data in the oil and gas industry. It continues to explore new technologies and applications, where solutions to the current challenges lie. Indeed, using elastic computing, big data analytics, AI, and cloud data centers, Huawei has already helped oil and gas customers achieve digital transformation, promoting the construction of intelligent oilfields and increasing oil and gas reserves. Working with partners, Huawei planned and built a computing AI platform for an industry customer, to implement AI training and big data analytics. This has, in turn, led to an increase in both oil and gas reserves and in production. Indeed, solutions have been implemented in various scenarios, including artificial-lift fault diagnosis, well-logging and reservoir identification, and seismic first arrival wave identification, extracting significant value from underutilized formerly 'useless' data. In the words of Dr. Mohamed Akoum from ADNOC: In an era of change for industries around the world, ADNOC continues to drive innovation and embed advanced technologies across its value chain to optimize performance, boost profitability and build resilience. Today, 150 years after the first successful extraction of oil from a drilled well, accessible underground oil resources have been all but exhausted. Oil companies, by necessity, are therefore now exploring deep-water, pre-salt, and unconventional reservoirs. At 60 years old, Daqing Oilfield the largest oilfield in China, situated in Heilongjiang, the country's northernmost province has faced enormous challenges in terms of reserve replacement, stable production pressure, cost reductions, and efficiency improvements. At the Huawei Oil & Gas Virtual Summit 2020, Zhang Tiegang, former Deputy Chief Engineer of the Exploration and Development Research Institute at Daqing Oilfield, explained that seismic exploration technologies to detect oil and gas reserves have been the method of choice for most oil companies. Increasing seismic exploration while decreasing well drilling, he noted, has become a new measure widely used in the industry. However, high precision and massive data processing have brought their own challenges to seismic exploration and oilfield exploration and development. With a single seismic exploration work area now expanded to over 2000 square kilometers, the volume of data collected through the broadband, wide-azimuth, and high-density seismic data collection technology has exceeded 1 TB per square kilometer. To help Daqing Oilfield address these issues, Huawei built a dedicated oil and gas exploration cloud. The cloud data center improves computing power by eight times and has similarly improved prestack seismic data processing capability by five times, from 400 square kilometers to 2000 square kilometers, matching work area requirements. Elsewhere, AI and big data capabilities have been used to re-analyze 10 PB of the customer's historical exploration data, to mine new value from it and support extraction decision-making, bringing huge additional value to the oilfield. Huawei is empowering a wide range of industries through 5G networking. In the oil and gas industry, 5G technologies are changing the operation modes of seismic data collection. Huawei has put 5G network features to work including high bandwidth, wide connectivity, and low latency to help achieve high-speed backhaul of seismic data, reducing the manual cabling workload and significantly improving the efficiency of seismic data collection. Elsewhere, Huawei 5G networks are already being used in oilfields and stations to support robot inspection, drone inspection, and Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications. Additionally, the Huawei Horizon Digital Platform helps oil and gas customers break down legacy siloed service systems and quickly release service applications as micro-services, to meet the complex and changing needs of the industry. For example, Huawei has deployed an enterprise cloud for SONATRACH, the national state-owned oil company of Algeria. The cloud-based solution manages and coordinates multiple data centers, eliminates resource silos, and greatly improves overall operation efficiency. As a global ICT solutions provider, Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every oil and gas company. At the Huawei Oil & Gas Virtual Summit 2020, Wang Hao, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Oil & Gas Development Department for Huawei's Enterprise Business Group, said that Huawei will use ICT as a new engine to work even more closely with industry customers in challenging times. Indeed, Huawei is already working with 19 of the top 30 oil and gas companies, in 45 countries and regions around the world, helping them achieve digital transformation. Ultimately, this will bring more benefits to the upstream, more security to the midstream, and more value to the downstream. Such innovative ICT technologies AI, cloud, edge computing, and 5G will reshape the oil and gas industry. As David Sun concluded at the Huawei Oil & Gas Virtual Summit 2020: "According to IDC's latest survey, Chinese industrial users see Huawei as the digital transformation leader, ranking number one. In the future, we hope to share Huawei's digital transformation capabilities and experiences in China's oil and gas industry with global customers, to help achieve ever greater business success." Tradearabia News Service (Bloomberg Opinion) -- During normal times, traditional economic data work fine, offering reliable insight into growth, employment, prices and all sorts of other aspects of the U.S. economy. The drawback is that delays of as long as a month or even a quarter make some of the data of limited use during times like these, when a pandemic has thrown the entire economy off kilter. So there's a case to be made for the merits of alternative data everything from new infection rates to apartment rental rates near college campuses which can offer daily reads of the state of the economy, provided they are used with the appropriate caveats. We recently asked several Bloomberg Opinion writers to cite some of the non-conventional metrics they're paying attention to during the coronavirus recession. Mohamed A. El-Erian writes about economics, markets and central banks for Bloomberg Opinion. He is the chief economic adviser at Allianz SE, the parent company of Pimco, where he served as CEO and co-CIO:As many traditional data reports are deemed mostly out of date even before they are released, economists have had no choice but to expand the data they monitor and how they are analyzed. This means paying a lot more attention to higher-frequency data, such as daily mobility indicators, retail traffic and restaurant dining. Second, epidemiological metrics -- the coronavirus R-naught infectious rate, hospitalizations and fatalities -- are critical to follow for their insights into key influences on household and business behavior, as well as the thinking and actions of policy makers. Measures of financial resilience and solvency become even more important given uncertainties about how long we will be living with Covid-19. In addition to the usual balance-sheet data, debt rollovers and access to new financing, this expands to include highly micro anecdotal indicators such as the number of people turning to food banks. None of these measures are perfect. Moreover, they dont make up for the inaccuracies that accompany virtually any forecast these days. But they do help to shed more light on our unprecedented economic situation, as well as help shape the questions we should be asking. Story continues Jim Bianco writes about markets and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. He is the president and founder of Bianco Research, a provider of data-driven insights into the global economy and financial markets: As summer turns to fall, attention will turn to the presidential election. How should investors measure the horse race? More importantly, how can one judge if an event is changing the outlook for the election? Enter the betting markets, such as the political betting site predictit.org. First, how should betting markets be viewed? Simply that they reflect the aggregation of all known information into one probability. So, they act like real-time polls, reacting quickly to new events. The chart below shows the betting spread for who will win the presidency, Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Biden is essentially a 60-40 favorite to win. The trend in these numbers can tell us a lot: Trump had a bad June but the worst, for now, may be over. What is the probability that either one of them wins the election? One can pay expensive Washington consultants, or create complicated computer models. Or, they can check the betting market and in 10 seconds get the same information. Tim Duy writes about the economy and Federal Reserve for Bloomberg Opinion. He is a professor of practice and senior director of the Oregon Economic Forum at the University of Oregon: A key feature of this crisis is the decline in population mobility as we strive to contain the spread of the virus. That reduction is a direct reflection of economic activity and it provides insights into the direction of the economy. The Dallas Federal Reserve Mobility and Engagement Index relies on cell phone data. The index is scaled so that zero is the average from January-February of this year and -100 is the lowest weekly for the U.S.For the nation, the index hit a low on April 11 and then began recovering. This is consistent with our understanding that many sectors of the economy bottomed out in mid-April. After that, a gradual reopening began. Subsequently released data such as retail sales confirmed this trend. But the index stopped rising in the week ended July 4. This likely reflects a surge in cases in some stages such as Texas, slowing the economic recovery. This may be an early indication that the pace of gains in traditional metrics such as the employment report will soon ebb. This would be consistent with predictions that full recovery will only come after the virus is contained to the point where we can freely move and interact as we did before the pandemic. Conor Sen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist focusing on labor and financial markets and the economy: Perhaps no measure of the economic recovery is more important than the rebound in employment. The official data we get on a weekly basis is jobless claims, which tell us something about the number of workers being laid off but nothing about employers posting jobs or hiring people. It's for that reason that weekly online job postings data from Indeed, written up by its chief economist, Jed Kolko, are so valuable. What we're seeing so far is a gradual improvement, much as we've seen from some other indicators. What's critical is that through the week of July 3, there hasn't been much difference in the pace of recovery between virus hotspots and non-hotspots. This may change in the weeks ahead, but it does suggest a durable recovery is taking hold. Scott Kominers is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, writing about economics and markets. He is the MBA Class of 1960 Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and a faculty affiliate of the Harvard Department of Economics:Throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns, delivery services have seen huge spikes in demand. Watching whether that changes during the next few months will give us a sense of how consumers are responding to staged reopening measures: are they going out or staying hunkered down at home? As the table below shows, grocery delivery has soared as people have avoided trips to supermarkets; the same is true in other categories. In the meantime, looking at who is providing delivery services can help us understand which businesses have managed to adjust their operations creatively during the pandemic. (Some more expensive sit-down restaurants, for example, have started offering delivery or take-out options for the first time.) As more businesses start opening up, looking at how many hours they're in operation each day will give further insight into consumer sentiment and business owners' demand expectations, especially in urban areas. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. James Greiff is an editor for Bloomberg Opinion. He was Wall Street news team leader at Bloomberg News and senior editor for Bloomberg Markets magazine. He previously reported on banking for the St. Petersburg Times and the Charlotte Observer. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 15:28:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients Thursday increased to 63.25 percent, India's federal health ministry said. The ministry said 612,815 patients had been cured and 331,146 were under active medical supervision, as the recovery rate stood at 63.25 percent. During the last 24 hours, 32,695 fresh positive cases and 606 deaths were reported in the country. The nationwide toll has risen to 24,915. The top health research body Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said 12.7 million samples have been tested until Thursday morning and 326,826 samples were tested during the past 24 hours. ICMR is continuously scaling up its testing facilities for COVID-19 by giving approval to government and private laboratories. Until now, 1,234 laboratories across India have been given the approval to conduct COVID-19 tests. Of these 874 are government-owned laboratories and 360 are private laboratories. With 968,876 cases, India is now the world's third worst-hit country due to the pandemic. Of the total cases in the country, Maharashtra tops the tally with 275,640 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu and Delhi. A government spokesman said over 20 states in India were already conducting 140 tests per day per million population, which is higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) prescribed norms. Enditem BRANFORD Human remains were found buried in a shallow grave behind a local restaurant Wednesday night as investigators continued the search for a missing East Haven mother, police officials said. The investigation into the disappearance of 27-year-old Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca led East Haven police to the rear parking lot of LoMonacos Ristorante Italiano at 990 West Main St. in Branford, according to East Haven Police Lt. Joseph Murgo. East Haven police were joined by Branford police and Connecticut State Police. Upon our arrival, we located what we determined to be an area with disturbed dirt behind the dumpster area, Murgo said. The Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad responded and located human remains buried in a shallow grave. Murgo said authorities have not yet identified the body, which he said was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday. Murgo said the autopsy will reveal more details. Aleman-Popoca hasnt been seen or heard from since July 1. Family reported her missing to police on July 3. During a press conference Wednesday night, East Havne Police Chief Ed Lennon confirmed a deceased human was found. He said it was a very, very active investigation. The chief said more details on the discovery would be shared Thursday. The police activity and discovery in Branford came just one day after police and law enforcement held a press conference Tuesday afternoon, pleading with the public for any information on her whereabouts. Police also asked anyone with surveillance footage in the area of Main Street to review their footage between about June 28 and July 9, and turn over any video that might show something suspicious. Anyone with information regarding Aleman-Popocas whereabouts is asked to contact East Haven Lt. Joseph Murgo at 203-468-3824 or jmurgo@easthavenpolice.com. By Jenn Dorsch-Messler Photo courtesy of Carrie Miller Members of the Brethren Disaster Ministries leadership team in Puerto Rico, where the staff are celebrating completion of a home rebuilding project that was started following Hurricane Maria: (from left) Raquel and Jose Acevedo (District Disaster Coordinator), Carmelo Rodriguez, and Carrie Miller. Brethren Disaster Ministries is celebrating completion of a rebuilding project in Puerto Rico in partnership with the Puerto Rico District of the Church of the Brethren. The project worked on homes that were destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Maria, and completed 100 homes. Brethren Disaster Ministries also celebrates the opening of a new project site in Dayton, Ohiothe first resumption of volunteer work since a shut-down due to COVID-19 that began in mid-March. Puerto Rico work completed Since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in Sept. 2017, Brethren Disaster Ministries has worked in partnership with the Puerto Rico District of the Church of the Brethren to support those who were affected. This began with coordinating relief supplies and funds, and continued from Sept. 2018 through June 2020 when a volunteer rebuilding site extended the collaboration. The project was previously planned to close at the end of June 2020, but the last two-and-a-half months of volunteer work were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. Through the work of this project, 100 homes were completed either with volunteer labor, contractor work, or by providing the materials that homeowners could not afford but had other ways to install on their own. Another seven families have been provided materials and the work will be completed soon through their own means. More reporting information about the project will be shared and celebrated in coming months. Dayton site opens Brethren Disaster Ministries has resumed volunteer work on national sites since a shutdown due to COVID-19 that began in mid-March. A handful of local volunteers who live in the Dayton, Ohio, area began a week of service on July 14 to serve a family affected by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes. Wearing masks and observing other safety and cleaning protocols, the volunteers are spending their days installing vinyl siding on one home. The volunteers return to their homes at night and no housing is provided by Brethren Disaster Ministries. North Carolina move The Brethren Disaster Ministries Carolinas rebuilding site has been closed after over two years of being housed in Lumberton, N.C. At the end of June, project vehicles and equipment were moved northeast to a new location. The new coastal North Carolina project location is in Bayboro, Pamlico County, N.C. This area was greatly affected by Hurricane Florence in Sept. 2018, mostly due to flooding. Florence brought a record-breaking storm surge of 9 to 13 feet and devastating rainfall of 20 to 30 inches in some areas along the coast of the Carolinas. The Pamlico County long-term recovery group reports that there are still more than 200 families in the county that have not completely recovered, almost two years later. Currently, Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers are scheduled to begin serving on this project in mid-September if possible. Volunteers will be housed at Mt. Zion Original Freewill Baptist Church in Bayboro, and work partners have been established. Nebraska short-term response Brethren Disaster Ministries has planned a short-term response in Nebraska during the weeks of Aug. 16-29 to rebuild after spring flooding in 2019. Volunteers can sign up for one or two weeks to serve as spots are available. Housing will be provided at a hotel in Omaha, Neb., with work close by. Anyone interested should contact Kim Gingerich, long-term project leader, at 717-586-1874 or bdmnorthcarolina@gmail.com . Financial support for this response comes through a grant from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) through funding provided by UPS. Brethren Disaster Ministries will be monitoring the COVID-19 situation prior to the scheduled dates, and changes or cancellations may be made based on travel restrictions or guidance in August and conversations with local partners. If this response takes place, there will be specific COVID-19 safety protocols in place and all volunteers will be expected to follow them. Onsite project expenses from Monday through Friday will be covered by Brethren Disaster Ministries but travel expenses to and from the site are the volunteers responsibility. Please note that Brethren Disaster Ministries is not responsible for non-refundable travel expenses if cancellations occur due to COVID-19. Jenn Dorsch-Messler is director of Brethren Disaster Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. Find out more about Brethren Disaster Ministries at www.brethren.org/bdm . Go to www.brethren.org/Newsline to subscribe to the Church of the Brethren Newsline free e-mail news service and receive church news every week. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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An Indian Institute of Technology Madras-incubated start-up Modulus Housing has developed a portable hospital unit that can be installed anywhere within two hours by four people. Called MediCAB, it is a decentralized approach to detect, screen, identify, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients in their local communities through these portable microstructures, a statement released by the institute said. MediCAB has been launched recently in Wayanad District of Kerala where the units are being deployed to treat COVID-19 Patients. The startup is developing micro hospitals that can be deployed rapidly across the nation. The Medicab is foldable and is composed of four zones a doctors room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure. This deployment in Kerala has been undertaken with grant funds from Habitat for Humanitys Terwiliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter. The startup collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology who provided inputs on the certifications and customizations necessary for the project. Founded by two IIT alumni in 2018, Modulus Housing was supported by IIT Madras Incubation Cell and has a vision to revolutionise housing through modular prefab structures. They have re-purposed their designs to support the fight against COVID-19. Modulus is working on a Dual design where these can be rapidly launched as COVID-19 isolation wards. Post-COVID-19, these can be transformed into micro-hospitals/clinics in Rural India where the medical infrastructure needs to be augmented. Modulus Housing has set up its manufacturing unit at Chengalpet (located about 35 kms from Chennai). India has 0.7 beds per 1,000 persons. Innovations such as the MediCAB will help boost the health-care infrastructure in India as it can be rapidly transported (Six units can fit in a truck). It can be deployed at any time and to any place. Highlighting the innovations from startups supported by IIT Madras Incubation Cell, its Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tamaswati Ghosh, said, We are very proud of our startups who are working on a range of products that are vital to Indias fight against COVID-19, from N95 masks, ventilators, affordable testing kits to portable hospital infra. Determination of disputes in the business premises tribunal (BPT) will stall for a while following the suspension of five members picked by Trade Cabinet Secretary (CS) Betty Maina last month to preside over the tribunal. The appointment of Mr Cyprian Mugambi Ngutari, Ms Patricia Chepkurui, Mr Kyalo Mbobu, Mr Andrew Mutuma and Mr Chege Charles Gakuhi was put on hold by Justice Maureen Onyango to await the outcome of a petition filed by lawyer Benard Odero Okello on July 28. Justice Onyango of the Employment and Labour Relations court was told the BPT is a quasi- judicial body whose members are supposed to be appointed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and not the Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation, Trade and Entrepreneurship. Mr Okello told the judge that the procedure used to appoint the five members of the BPT to take over from the Mbici Mboroki team whose term expired June 14 this year was wrong and irregular. Ms Maina published the names of the five in the Kenya Gazette Notice Number 4244 of June 22 2020. The appointments were to take effect from June 22 for a term of three years. Mr Okello claimed that the CS did not advertise for the posts so that interviews and vetting could be conducted and those who qualify be appointed "The CS settled on the five members as the qualified one without disclosure to the public on the process employed to arrive at them," Mr Okello told the court. He told the told the court that the CS also breached the two-thirds rule by selecting only one woman Patricia Chepkurui and four men contrary to Article 27(8) of the Constitution. The lawyer is asking the court to prohibit the CS from appointing the five as members of the BPT and further asking the court to quash the Gazette Notice. UC Web, the company behind the UC Browser, UC News and Vmate has stopped its services in India owing to the ban on Chinese apps UC Web, the company behind the UC Browser, UC News and Vmate has stopped its services in India owing to the ban on its three popular apps. The Indian government, on June 29, issued a blanket ban on 59 mobile apps including TikTok, Shareit and more citing national security issues with these apps that either originate from China or have links to the Chinese state. Now, as a follow-up to the ban imposed on UC Browser, UC Web and Vmate apps in India, Alibaba Group Holdings owned UC Web has halted its services and has laid-off some staffers according to some reports. As per a UC spokesperson, the company is terminating its services indefinitely. We have complied with the governments recent directive concerning 59 apps and stopped the service, UC Web said in a statement to the press. UC Browser, UC News stops services amidst ban on Chinese apps in India After the ban imposed on three of its popular apps in India, UC Web issued a letter to its employees and as per a report by Reuters, the company has terminated its services due to the ban which prevents the company from currently operating in the country. Its unclear whether UC Web is temporarily stopping its services or has completely exited the country. In 2017, a year after its launch, UC News reportedly had 100 million active users and in 2018, UC Browser became the sixth most-downloaded app in India and crossed 130 million monthly active users shortly afterwards. The offices of the UC Web in Mumbai and Gurugram have been shut down and its unclear whether the employees will be compensated for the closure of UC Webs business in India. The Indian government, in its order, states that it has found these apps engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order. In the following days, all the 59 apps were removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store with some companies stopping their services such as TikTok and more. As the order is in effect, these apps cannot operate in India and have to be temporarily shut down until the ban is lifted. They keep tabs on people they consider political troublemakers and control Chinas government in Beijing. They enforce rules that have led to the internment of more than a million members of minorities like the Uighurs in the countrys west. Yet voices of dissent have also come from the party. Dr. Li Wenliang, who sounded the alarm online about a mysterious virus that emerged in China and was interrogated by the police for his trouble before dying of Covid-19, was a party member. So, too, is the Uighur economist Ilham Tohti, a winner of the Sakharov Prize. Recent statistics showed 12.3 million of them are 30 or younger, about half have college or university degrees, and 27.9 percent are female. Many party members also offer child care services, run schools, manage technology companies, organize beach cleanups, act in blockbuster movies and do outreach to older Chinese citizens. Alongside them are academics, scientists and business people lifelines for a U.S.-Chinese economic relationship that has persisted despite souring ties. For those not at the top rungs of power, membership in the party is often a way to fuel ones career by making the right connections. During the boom years from the 1980s to the early 2010s, many Chinese joined the party to get a leg up in business, academics and the arts. A party born of a civil war Founded in 1921, the Communist Party has dominated politics in China since it won a civil war against the Nationalists of the Republic of China in 1949. Since then, it has gone through many evolutions, some dictated by practicality, others by the small-minded calculations of power grabs. Lowe's customers wear masks as they load building supplies into their truck during the coronavirus pandemic in New York. Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison said the retailer had unique advantages that helped it weather the coronavirus pandemic in its early months: more stores in rural areas and a large base of do-it-yourself customers. As the pandemic stretches on and Covid-19 cases spread beyond big cities, however, the home improvement retailer said it's seen the struggles of small businesses in rural areas. It's looked for new ways to serve and market to customers in a time of social distancing. On Thursday, Lowe's pledged $25 million toward grants for small businesses in rural communities, including some home professionals and contractors who shop at its stores. It will also turn a few of its parking lots into drive-in movie theaters, an idea that may expand to more locations. Lowe's Chief Brand and Marketing Officer Marisa Thalberg said like companies owned by minorities and women, rural businesses face certain challenges like limited access to capital and fewer nearby services. "As we started recognizing where the [pandemic] impact was being felt, we just felt that there wasn't enough conversation around the impact in rural America," she said. For the home improvement retailer, the pandemic struck at a time when it's trying to reboot its image, overhaul its website and ramp up its business among home professionals. Those efforts have become more complicated during a pandemic yet Lowe's has seized upon the chance to introduce itself to new customers and woo back former ones as it remained open as an essential business. Lowe's added curbside pickup to all of its stores. It launched a free video tool for virtual home visits in June to try to entice more plumbers, electricians and other home professionals to join its loyalty program. And it stepped up philanthropic efforts, including a previous $25 million commitment toward grants for minority-owned and women-owned businesses. It's now adding $5 million to that fund, bringing its total small business grant program to $55 million. Retail was the largest sector to receive the first round of business grants, followed by construction and other services, such as barbershops, nail salons and dry cleaners, company spokeswoman Amy Allison said. She said the businesses covered a wide range from grocery stores and car dealers to plumbers and painters. Each business receives up to $20,000. In May, when Lowe's first-quarter earnings were stronger than expected, Ellison said the retailer had been buoyed by a few factors. About 25% of its stores are in rural areas that weren't as hard hit as bigger cities in the early months of the pandemic. About 20% to 25% of its sales come from pros less than Home Depot's 45%. And Ellison said many of its professional customers are "pickup truck pros" who operate small businesses that haven't been hurt as badly as some of the major companies. Lowe's shares hit a 52-week high of $144.94 on Thursday. The stock is up about 19% so far this year. Thalberg said the retailer is getting creative to reach customers. It will host drive-in movie screenings for families. A store in Charlotte, North Carolina, will screen "The Secret Life of Pets" and "The Pursuit of Happyness" this weekend. It will have a similar event in early August in Cornelia, Georgia. The movies will be free, but Lowe's will accept donations to support relief efforts for local small business with the Local Initiatives Support Corp., a national nonprofit that's helping Lowe's distribute its business grants. The retailer will match the donations 2-to-1 ne up to $50,000. Stores will be closed during the events, but each car of moviegoers will receive a Lowe's movie bucket with masks, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, bottled water and snacks. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of the 26th anniversary of the deadly terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez reaffirmed his government's commitment to bring to justice those responsible. "The truth is that for Argentines, the AMIA attack is very painful. This was not an attack against the Jewish community only, it was an attack against Argentina," President Fernandez said on an American Jewish Committee (AJC) Advocacy Anywhere program today. "The victims, many of them, were members of the Jewish community. But they were Argentines first and foremost and it hurts us as such." In a 45-minute conversation with Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC's Belfer Center for Latino and Latin American Affairs, President Fernandez discussed the AMIA bombing, Hezbollah, antisemitism, his visit to Israel, the coronavirus pandemic, and Argentina's relations with the United States. Fernandez shared emotionally how the bombing affected him personally. He was teaching at the University of Buenos Aires, but on the morning of July 18, 1994, one of his students did not show up for class. Paola Czyzewski, age 20, was one of the 85 killed in the explosion. Another 300 were wounded. The president affirmed his commitment and that of his predecessors to apprehend and prosecute the individuals who planned and carried out the AMIA attack. In 2007, the Argentine government concluded that Iran and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah were responsible. Fernandez criticized Iran for not cooperating in the investigation and not allowing any of the five Iranian officials sought by Interpol to be extradited. "If they are eventually found innocent, they will regain their freedom and go back to Iran, and if not, they will have to be held accountable for what happened," he said. "What we need is to know the truth. If that truth is unattainable, justice cannot be attained," he said. A year ago, Hezbollah was added to Argentina's Registry of Terrorist Organizations. "In the case of Hezbollah, there are legal actions against the organization, initiated in Argentina which have advanced, including the confiscation of resources to underwrite their activities," said Fernandez. "The truth is that terrorism cannot coexist with a democracy," said Fernandez. "The international community cannot coexist with terrorism and cannot be passive against terrorism, its ideologies, and motivations." Argentina's recent adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism "was easy," he said, because it reflects "what the vast majority of Argentines believe." "The Jewish community is absolutely an essential part of Argentine society as a whole," he said. "We are all Argentines, and we respect each other's religion, place of worship, origin." Fernandez discussed his visit to Israel in January and meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Relations between the State of Israel and Argentina are optimal, as they should be. I always repeat the same thing: we are obliged to have very good relations because we have a very important Jewish community, and there's no room for us not to get along. We are compelled to get along," he said. The occasion of his first visit to Israel was the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. "That day for me personally was very moving because it put in perspective a moment in history that entailed both tragedy and freedom, the tragedy of Auschwitz and the liberation of those who suffered in Auschwitz. Any human being who witnesses this can only be moved by such a memory," he said. Argentina was the only Latin American country that participated in the January 23 commemoration in Jerusalem. On how Argentina has been managing the coronavirus pandemic, the president credited his country's public health system for keeping the infection and fatality rates low 1,500 have died compared to other countries. "No patient is left without medical assistance. This is very important to us. Our hospitals were never oversaturated. Everyone has been able to receive medical attention," he said. But the president cautioned on the pandemic's economic impact. "I believe that there is a false dilemma surrounding the pandemic. The dilemma of whether to take care of health or take care of the economy. The truth is, no economy works with dying citizens." The president called Argentina's engagement with the United States "a respectful relationship that must exist between two countries that have always been related and linked." But he noted contrasting approaches to the situation in Venezuela. "Especially in times of the pandemic, imposing an economic blockade is not a good solution because beyond the current government of Venezuela there are Venezuelans who suffer," he said. "When problems of democratic coexistence appear in a country, members of that country must solve that problem," He added that Argentina and other countries in the region can facilitate achieving a solution. "What I am not willing to do is to participate in imposing a solution on Venezuela." AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization has maintained a close and collaborative relationship with Argentina and its Jewish community for more than seven decades. For 30 years, AJC had an office in Buenos Aires. AJC delegations regularly visit the Argentine capital to meet with top government officials, as well as the Jewish community. AMIA is an AJC international partner. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will on Tuesday next week begin hearings in which 48 institutions are expected to shed light on the issues raised by the Auditor General in his 2019/2020 report. In a telephone interview with The New Times, the PAC Chairperson; MP Valens Muhakwa said that the hearings will commence on July 21 and conclude on August 5. "We are receiving 48 institutions including districts and the timeframe of the hearing means that we will be receiving about six or seven institutions a day," he said. Muhakwa said that the hearings will be held face to face but will only allow limited attendance in line with the Covid-19 social distancing guidelines. Taking on new role This will be MP Muhakwa's first big test since he was unanimously voted by 78 members of the lower chamber to lead the committee in June this year. He came in to replace Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze who was appointed Minister of State in charge of Agriculture and Animal Resources in March this year. Like his predecessor, Muhakwa belongs to the Social Democratic Party (PSD). Muhakwa, 37, who holds a Master's degree in Public International Law, told The New Times that his education background makes him keen on upholding compliance. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Rwanda By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "I am also keen on value for money. Our country's resources are limited and our budget is funded by citizen taxes and from borrowing, so it's imperative that the money is used right," he said. He added that there are loopholes in the country's laws that can be used as an excuse for anyone who wants to embezzle government funds. "The institutions that are given these funds must put them to use them in line with the law. We have clear laws and there are no loopholes that you can use as an excuse. I am a lawyer so when it comes to compliance, I am very strict," he said. Prosecution is key In an interview recently, the Auditor General Obadiah Biraro said that prosecuting those responsible for causing government losses would go a long way in fixing the issues. "You have to have enforcement. If you have not implemented the Auditor General's recommendations, what happens to you? There are rules and if you go against them, you should face the consequences. There is no way out of this other than prosecution. There is no shortcut," he said. Biraro said that leadership should come with accountability and those trusted with the task to disburse public funds should be stripped of these responsibilities and tasked to refund the monies they lost. In 2019, the government lost a staggering Rwf5.6 billion due to delayed and abandoned contracts, idle assets and payment of non-existent employees. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is pleased to announce the launch of new Science Partner Journal, Energy Material Advances, published in affiliation with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT). Energy Material Advances is an interdisciplinary journal which provides an advanced platform for investigations and research in the fields of material, energy, environmental, photoelectric, electromechanical, and mechanical sciences, as well as physics, chemistry, and biology. The scope will cover multiple fields from cutting-edge material to energy science, investigating theoretical, technological as well as engineering aspects. The journal will publish Research Articles, Review Articles, Short Communications, Perspectives and Editorials. Feng Wu, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, and Asia Pacific Academy of Materials, and chief professor of energy and environmental materials discipline at BIT, and Jun Liu, the Washington Research Foundation Innovation Chair in Clean Energy, and both Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Campbell Chair Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Washington , will serve as the Editors-in-Chief of Energy Material Advances. Energy Material Advances is currently open for submissions and will publish under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). Two additional Science Partner Journal titles from BIT are also launching this year. Cyborg and Bionic Systems is currently open for submissions and Space: Science & Technology will launch later this year. "Currently, energy science and technologies has become a new hotspot in scientific and industrial development." said Professor Feng Wu, Editor-in-Chief of the journal. "Energy Material Advances focuses on the cutting edge of energy materials and provides a platform which is open for collaborative innovation for the scholars in the field," continued Wu. "We are excited to make unremitting efforts for broader international academic exchanges, more in-depth research and exploration, and more efficient information sharing, to enable this journal to promote and witness the bright future of new energy materials". "We are delighted that the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has created the international journal Energy Material Advances with the support and assistance of AAAS," said Professor Jun Zhang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, and President of the University. "As an important pillar for world economic development, energy and material science is the essential foundation for the high-tech advances in various subject areas and is also one of the most preponderant disciplines of our university," continued Zhang. "The creation and development of this journal will provide an excellent academic exchange platform for relevant scholars around the world to share the latest research achievements in this field and to disseminate the up-to-date progress and cutting-edge trends." "The Science Partner Journal program is happy to welcome three new journals with another top tier partner, Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT)," said Bill Moran, Publisher of the Science family of journals at AAAS. "Energy Material Advances will cover a wide range of research dedicated to cutting-edge fields that will help advance our knowledge and implementation of critical energy and material science. Under the leadership of Feng Wu and with BIT's guidance and collaboration, we are confident the journal will excel." New titles participating in the Science Partner Journal program will launch on a regular basis and participation in the program is kept to English-language publications. AAAS is actively seeking new partners across scientific disciplines. Organizations participating in the Science Partner Journal program will be editorially independent and responsible for the content published in each journal. Partner organizations are responsible for establishing editorial boards committed to best practices in peer review and author service. For more information about the Science Partner Journal program, please visit the Science Partner Journal homepage at: spj.sciencemag.org. For questions regarding the program and inquiries about the application process for becoming a partner organization, contact spj@aaas.org. ### About the American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 260 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. About Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has been one of the key universities in China since the founding of New China. BIT now has 18 professional schools and more than 3,400 staff, including 26 academicians, 47 "Chang Jiang Scholars Program" professors, 40 winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 33 leader talents of the Supporting Program of Global Experts, 4 state level teachers, 6 state level teaching groups, 5 innovative teams of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and 10 innovative teams of the Chang Jiang Scholars Program. BIT has 2 national collaborative innovation centers, 9 state level cooperative innovation centers, state level laboratories and 6 state level research centers. BIT aims to develop students as leaders with ambition, wisdom, innovation and sense of duty. Currently, BIT has established inter-university collaboration with more than 346 renowned universities in 73 countries and regions on six continents and student exchange program with more than 70 partner universities. Its materials science program ranks 53th in the QS 2020 World University Rankings and in the top 100 in 2020 World University Rankings by US News. Since 2010, the BIT materials science program has been in the top 1% of the world in ESI, and the chemistry science program has been in the top 1% of the world in ESI since 2011. Currently, the materials science program ranks 0.103% and the chemistry science program ranks 0.133%. BIT is building an international university and has created a global network for exchange and cooperation. BIT has always formulated its strategies in light of national strategic needs and global developments in science and technology and education, and in accordance with its own strengths and missions. BIT has developed a clear edge in technologies relating to intelligent and bionic robotics, space adaptive optics, green energy, modern communications and industrial process control. See http://english.bit.edu.cn/. Advertisement Bristol council have removed a statue of a Black Lives Matter protester around 24 hours after it was secretly raised on a plinth where a memorial to Edward Colston once stood, before it was dumped in a nearby harbour by demonstrators last month. Pictures from the scene show workers at the site at around 5.20am on Thursday, more than a month after demonstrators tore down the Colston statue, rolled it through Bristol's streets and dumped it in the city's harbour. Bristol City Council said it was removed at their request, adding: 'This morning we removed the sculpture. It will be held at our museum for the artist to collect or donate to our collection.' Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said he has a 'relentless commitment to build a city for all Bristolians.' He told Sky News: 'We're not taking down a statue of Black Lives Matter protester, we're taking down the work of a London-based artist who erected it without permission and without any conversation with the city.' Speaking yesterday, the London-based artist who sculpted the statue of Jen Reid, which stood atop the plinth for around 24 hours, said he didn't have 'any expectations' on how long the piece would stay up. The toppling of the Colston statue prompted a wave of attacks on varies monuments to historical figures from Britain's past, including Winston Churchill, Oliver Cromwell and Admiral Lord Nelson. Last month PM Boris Johnson warned: 'We cannot now try to edit or censor our past,' as protests led to some statues in London, including Churchill's and one of Nelson Mandela, being covered up. Bristol council workers arrived at the former memorial to Edward Colston at around 5.20am this morning to remove a statue of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid The sculpture has been taken to Bristol Museum to collect or donate to its own collection - which will also house the statue to Edward Colston that was toppled last month Council workers lifted the sculpture of Jen Reid away from the plinth where Edward Colston's statue once stood, and loaded it into a lorry The sculpture of Ms Reid, titled A Surge of Power, was secretly raised in Bristol on Wednesday and removed earlier today Sculptor Marc Quinn told MailOnline yesterday he had 'no idea' how long the BLM statue would last after it was erected on a plinth where a memorial to slave trader Edward Colston once stood The statue, by artist Marc Quinn, was put up in the early hours of Wednesday. Quinn's lifesize black resin and steel piece of Jen Reid was inspired after seeing a photo of her standing on the empty plinth following the toppling of the Colston statue. The sculpture, entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), was installed without the knowledge or consent of Bristol City Council. On Wednesday, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees tweeted: 'I understand people want expression, but the statue has been put up without permission. 'Anything put on the plinth outside of the process we've put in place will have to be removed.' The Mayor had earlier issued a statement stating that the future of the plinth, and any memorials, must be decided 'by the people of Bristol'. Mr Rees said he has established a 'history commission', which will help authorities 'decide on city memorials and the future of the plinth'. He said: 'We need change. In leading that change we have to find a pace that brings people with us. There is an African proverb that says if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. 'Our challenge is to take the city far. The art of building our city will be finding a way to live with our difference so that even where people do not get what they want, they know they live in a city that is their one and respects them.' A Surge of Power, the title of the sculpture in Bristol raised yesterday, was removed by council workers and taken to a nearby museum Artist Marc Quinn said he was inspired to create the sculpture after seeing a picture of Ms Reid atop the plinth in Bristol during last month's protests Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid posed in front of a statue of herself in Bristol yesterday - this morning council workers have removed the sculpture I understand people want expression, but the statue has been put up without permission. Anything put on the plinth outside of the process we've put in place will have to be removed. The people of Bristol will decide its future. https://t.co/dEsZF9kNRt Marvin Rees (@MarvinJRees) July 15, 2020 The Edward Colston statue was pulled down in Bristol on Sunday, June 7 during Black Lives Matter protests after years of protest over the former slave trader Demonstrators then rolled the statue of the 17th century slave trader and pushed it into Bristol Harbour on Sunday, June 7 The statue of Edward Colston had to be fished out of Bristol Harbour and is being restored before it is taken to a museum Ms Reid, a descendant of Jamaican immigrants, had attended the march in June 7 - her first BLM demonstration - with husband Alasdair Doggart, who helped roll the statue of Colston into the river when it was pulled down. Speaking yesterday she said seeing the Colston statue being toppled felt like a 'truly historical moment'. She added: 'This sculpture is about making a stand for my mother, for my daughter, for Black people like me. Its about Black children seeing it up there. Its something to feel proud of, to have a sense of belonging, because we actually do belong here and were not going anywhere.' Artist Marc Quinn said the new statue was a 'temporary public installation'. He told MailOnline yesterday: 'We have no idea how long it will be there, we don't have any expectations. 'Jen and I are not putting this sculpture on the plinth as a permanent solution to what should be there - it's a spark which we hope will help to bring continued attention to this vital and pressing issue.' The monument to Colston is currently being restored after being fished from the water and will eventually be placed in a museum. A team of ten people led by Mr Quinn worked quickly and in secret to erect the statue. Workers arrived in two lorries and had the sculpture up within 15 minutes using a hydraulic crane truck parked next to the plinth. Protesters tore down a statue of Edward Colston on Sunday, June 7, on the same day a memorial to Winston Churchill in London was defaced with the words 'was a racist' written on a plinth underneath. A 'hit list' of memorials to some of Britain's most famous figures has been created by an anti-racism group and uploaded to the website Topple The Racists It prompted a wave of statues being targeted with graffiti or being attacked during protests, culminating in some statues, including ones of Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, being covered up to be protected from vandals. The Topple the Racists campaign launched a comprehensive list of statues it wanted to see removed as it believed the names behind the monuments held racist beliefs. It led to Oriel College at Oxford University voting to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a colonialist politician in southern Africa in the 19th century. Boris Johnson wrote last month: 'We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations. 'They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.' 'Decade of Excellence Forex Brokerage Asia 2020' award marks an important milestone in the global expansion of HotForex, the award winning multi-asset broker whose unrivalled reputation has spanned the corners of the world PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HotForex, the internationally acclaimed forex and commodities broker on CFDs, has been proudly presented with the 'Decade of Excellence Forex Brokerage Asia 2020' award by Global Banking & Finance Review, as a result of its commitment to providing innovative high-quality trading services to all its clients in the Asian region and beyond. 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Notes to Media: About HotForex With its origins dating back to 2010, HotForex is the brand name of HF Markets Group which encompasses global and regulated entities which are operating as multi-asset brokers offering both retail and institutional trading services to clients from around the world. HotForex is continuously establishing its position as a market leader, a fact affirmed by: Over 2,000,000 Live Accounts Opened More than 35 International Awards Client Support in 27+ Languages Top Fund Security Measures To learn more information on HotForex, please visit our website by clicking here. Risk warning: Trading Leveraged Products such as Forex and Derivatives may not be suitable for all investors as they carry a high degree of risk to your capital. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved, taking into account your investments objectives and level of experience, before trading, and if necessary, seek independent advice. Please read the full Risk Disclosure. WASHINGTON After several days spent weathering attacks from White House officials, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci hit back Wednesday, calling recent efforts to discredit him bizarre and a hindrance to the governments ability to communicate information about the coronavirus pandemic. I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that, Fauci said in an interview with The Atlantic published Wednesday, speaking of recent attempts by President Donald Trumps aides to undermine him. I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because its only reflecting negatively on them. It was the latest salvo in a war that has broken out in the middle of a pandemic between Fauci, the governments top infectious disease expert, and a White House that has never evolved beyond the bare-knuckle tactics of the 2016 campaign. On Wednesday, Peter Navarro, Trumps top trade adviser, published a brazen op-ed article in USA Today describing Fauci as wrong about everything. Over the weekend, another of Trumps top advisers shared a mocking cartoon that portrayed Fauci as a leaky faucet. Other White House officials have targeted Fauci by distributing opposition research-style documents to reporters that detail what they say are his mistakes. All the while, White House officials including the president and the press secretary assert in the face of the evidence that there is no concerted effort to attack Fauci. Were all on the same team, including Dr. Fauci, Trump told reporters Wednesday as he left the White House for Atlanta. When he was asked about Navarros choice to go around White House channels to publish the op-ed article in USA Today, the president added that Navarro shouldnt be doing that. Fauci, 79, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a post he has held since 1984, is no stranger to criticism. He oversaw much of the governments response to the AIDS epidemic, weathering criticism from activists like Larry Kramer, who called him a murderer and an incompetent idiot. Trumps administration presents a different challenge. Because Fauci is a career civil servant, his job is not in jeopardy, and it is unlikely that Trump can completely exile him, given his emergence as the governments most credible voice on the pandemic. He has not briefed Trump in weeks, preferring to work with Dr. Deborah L. Birx, who helps coordinate the administrations coronavirus response, or to send his messages through Vice President Mike Pence. Without directly criticizing the president both men have emphasized their personal fondness for each other Fauci has begun fighting back. On Monday, he met with Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff, to discuss his ability to speak about the virus on television his broadcast appearances have been sharply curbed in recent weeks by Meadows and members of the communications staff. And in The Atlantic interview, Fauci complained that the administrations actions had made it difficult for health officials to communicate accurate information. It distracts from what I hope would be the common effort of getting this thing under control, rather than this back-and-forth distraction, which just doesnt make any sense, Fauci said. Weve got to almost reset this and say, OK, lets stop this nonsense. Weve got to figure out, how can we get our control over this now, and, looking forward, how can we make sure that next month, we dont have another example of California, Texas, Florida and Arizona? He added, So rather than these games people are playing, lets focus on that. In the interview, Fauci discussed the op-ed article by Navarro, which had the stark headline, Anthony Fauci Has Been Wrong About Everything I Have Interacted With Him On. In the piece, Navarro presented what White House officials have been saying privately about Fauci and what Trump has said publicly: They like Fauci personally, but he has made mistakes. Fauci responded with bewilderment. I cant explain Peter Navarro, he said. Hes in a world by himself. The White House sought to distance itself from the attack by Navarro, but it did not denounce its substance. The Peter Navarro op-ed didnt go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone, Alyssa Farah, White House director for strategic communications, wrote on Twitter, adding that the president values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration. White House officials declined to comment when one of the presidents closest advisers, Dan Scavino, posted a mocking cartoon of Fauci to social media. Tension between Navarro and Fauci has been brewing since the early days of the pandemic this year. In a coronavirus task force meeting that Navarro asked to attend, the two argued over the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, a drug that Trump has promoted as a cure for the virus. Navarro, an economist by training, has since defended his credentials when it comes to sparring with Fauci over possible medical treatments. Doctors disagree about things all the time. My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that Im a social scientist, Navarro told CNNs John Berman in April. I have a Ph.D. And I understand how to read statistical studies, whether its in medicine, the law, economics or whatever. Navarro is known to go around official channels to make sure his opinions are aired. In his op-ed article, he wrote that I confronted him with scientific studies providing evidence of safety and efficacy, and he promoted a new study that he said showed a 50% reduction in the mortality rate when the medicine was used. Medical experts have criticized that study, published by the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, as incomplete. Navarro also wrote that he had warned officials in late January of the threat posed by the coronavirus, while Fauci had fought against the presidents courageous decision to close U.S. borders to travelers from China. It is true that a memo that Navarro wrote outlining the threat of the virus was the earliest high-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing during the early days of the administrations response. It is also true that Fauci was initially skeptical of closing the countrys borders, over concerns such an action could limit the movements of doctors and other health professionals trying to contain the disease. But by the end of January, Fauci and other public health experts were on board with the decision. Despite the continuing attacks by administration advisers and the attempts to limit his television appearances, Fauci has not stopped other public appearances. On Tuesday, he urged Georgetown University students to trust public health experts over politicians, without criticizing the administration he works for directly. You can trust respected medical authorities. I believe Im one of them. So, I think you can trust me, Fauci said. I would stick with respected medical authorities who have a track record of telling the truth, who have a track record of giving information and policy and recommendations based on scientific evidence and good data. He added, Dont get involved in any of the political nonsense, calling it a waste of time. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Apple is soon going to be the subject of another antitrust probe from the EU. As per Reuters, EU competition regulators are currently asking for information from nearly 400 companies to see if companies like Apple and Amazon are indulging in anti-competitive behavior using their voice assistants Siri and Alexa in any way. The EU decided to investigate the segment after noticing the amount of user data thats generated and involved with IoT devices. Thus, it wants to make sure that dominant players like Apple are not using their position to put their competitors at a disadvantage. It sends an important message to powerful operators in these market that we are watching them and that they need to do business in line with competition rules, European Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager told a news conference. The EU wants to make sure that all the voice assistants and IoT devices are interoperable with each other. This is certainly not possible as things stand right now, at least on the HomePod. While one can playback music from Spotify on Alexa- or Google Assistant-powered speakers, Siri only plays well with Apple Music on the HomePod. The company is adding an option to change the default music provider on the HomePod with iOS 14 but as of now, it is unclear how this feature will work and what limitations it will have. There are other limitations with Siri on the HomePod as well which do not exist on Alexa or Assistant speakers. This is perhaps also the reason why the HomePod despite its outstanding sound quality failed to attract consumers. If any of the companies are fined guilty of breaching the antitrust rules, the EU has the power to fine them up to 10% of their global turnover. [Via Reuters Lawmakers have also challenged the appointments in other ways. A bill approved Tuesday by the House Appropriations Committee stipulated that none of the funds made available in this or any other Act . . . may be used for the salaries or expenses of more than five political and presidential appointees in the Bureau of the Census. The appointment of Cogley and Korzeniewski brings the total number of appointees at the bureau to six; the House is expected to vote on the bill this month. Man, dog pronounced dead after early morning explosion, structure fire near Harbor Springs A man and a dog have both died as the result of an explosion and structure fire early Tuesday morning in West Traverse Township near Harbor Springs. London, July 16 : Shamima Begum, a British resident who ran away in 2015 to become an Islamic State (IS) jihadi bride, has won a legal battle to be allowed to return home to fight the government's decision to remove her UK citizenship, a media report said on Thursday. In its ruling, the Court of Appeal said she had been denied a fair hearing because she could not make her case from the camp, the BBC reported. The judgement means the government must now find a way to allow the 20-year-old to appear in court in London despite repeatedly saying it would not assist removing her from Syria. Responding to the development, Daniel Furner, Begum's solicitor, said: "She has never had a fair opportunity to give her side of the story. She is not afraid of facing British justice, she welcomes it. "But the stripping of her citizenship without a chance to clear her name is not justice, it is the opposite." Begum had argued that the government's decision to revoke her citizenship was unlawful because it left her stateless. In 2015, Begum, then aged 15, was one of three schoolgirls from Bethnal Green Academy who left their homes and families to join the IS. Kadiza Sultana, then 16, and Amira Abase, then 15, and Begum boarded a flight from Gatwick Airport to Istanbul, Turkey, on February 17, 2015, before making their way to Raqqa in Syria. Sultana was reportedly killed in an air strike in 2016, while Abase's current whereabouts remain unknown. Begum has claimed that she married Dutch convert Yago Riedijk 10 days after arriving in IS territory, with all of her schoolfriends also reportedly marrying foreign fighters. She told The Times newspaper that she left Raqqa in January 2017 with her husband and her children who later died. Her third child died shortly after he was born. The House Ethics Committee has cleared Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan over allegations that the freshman lawmaker failed to properly disclose the source of $300,000 in personal funds she loaned to her congressional campaign in 2018. Conservative groups filed complaints against Trahan following her 2018 victory, claiming she failed to properly disclose all her personal financial assets until after winning her House race. The Massachusetts Democrat later acknowledged mistakes with her initial disclosure filings and campaign finance reports and filed amended versions of those documents. Trahan released a document stating that her husband, Dave, a homebuilder, moved funds into a joint checking account held by the couple. Those funds were then loaned to Trahan's congressional campaign The Ethics Committee announced last December that it was taking up the case following a review by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent ethics watchdog. In its announcement Thursday, the Ethics Committee said Trahan had not violated any House rules. Representative Trahans prenuptial agreement with her husband established clear delineations as to the couples income and assets and rights to their income and assets during their marriage, the committee concluded. Based on the prenuptial agreement, the Committee found that Representative Trahans loans to the Campaign were from her personal funds, not excessive contributions from her husband, and therefore did not violate House Rules, laws, regulations or other standards of conduct. The Ethics Committee also found no evidence that Representative Trahans omissions of required information or errors on her Financial Disclosure Statements and [Federal Election Commission] reports were knowing and willful, and accordingly, did not merit further action. In fact, Representative Trahans amendments to her disclosures on her own initiative show her good faith effort to comply with the relevant disclosure requirements. Story continues The Ethics Committee said if there were any problems on her campaign disclosure reports, that was an issue for the Federal Election Commission and Trahan to resolve. In a statement, Trahan blamed the conservative groups for the controversy and said she acted properly during the campaign. "The respected House Ethics Committee made up of Democrats and Republicans investigated this matter thoroughly and has now unanimously confirmed what Ive always maintained: that my campaign acted ethically and that these baseless accusations were just politics," Trahan said in a statement. By David Lawder WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's executive order ending Hong Kong's special status under U.S. law effectively ends the territory's separate customs treatment from China - but the immediate impact on trade is likely to be limited, trade law experts say. Trump's order https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidents-executive-order-hong-kong-normalization, issued late on Tuesday to punish China over a new national security law imposed on Hong Kong, does not explicitly mention tariffs nor Hong Kong's separate customs status. Instead, it suspends a 1992 law granting Hong Kong special economic status, referencing a statute governing country-of-origin labeling for imported goods. The net effect is to rescind Hong Kong's status as a separate customs territory, said Georgetown University law professor Jennifer Hillman, a former World Trade Organization appellate judge. That means goods from Hong Kong will now be considered as being from China for duty purposes, Hillman and other Washington trade lawyers said. As Hong Kong shifted from being a manufacturing center to a trading and finance hub, its goods exports to the United States have fallen, to only $4.7 billion in 2019. The largest category, according to U.S. Census Bureau data https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/product/enduse/imports/c5820.html, was $2.2 billion worth of returned goods initially exported from the United States. The next largest categories were gem diamonds at $388 million, jewelry at $317 million and other gemstones at $247 million. "It's not going to be a devastating blow to Hong Kong's economy," said Claire Reade, senior counsel with Arnold and Porter in Washington. She added that much of Hong Kong's exports had shifted to services. The change also could leave many U.S. tariffs unchanged. Before the Trump administration's trade war with China, goods from both Hong Kong and China had long been subject to duties at the U.S. Most Favored Nation rate, which WTO data show averaged 3.3% last year. A "Section 301" list subjected many Chinese consumer goods, including diamonds and jewelry, to a 15% U.S. tariff in September 2019, reduced in February to 7.5% as a result of the Phase 1 trade deal with China. Story continues The Trump order means that gems and jewelry from Hong Kong - among the biggest imports from the territory - along with some other products, are now subject to the same duties. Several trade lawyers said they were still examining the implications of the order on Thursday, and noted that the U.S. Trade Representative's Office has the ability to grant exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. A USTR spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Trump's order does not immediately affect the United States' $30 billion to $40 billion in annual exports https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/product/enduse/exports/c5820.html to Hong Kong, which are largely tariff-free, nor Hong Kong's independent membership in the WTO. However China's threatened retaliation could dampen sales of U.S. goods there in the future, trade experts say. The port and trade hub is consistently the source of the largest U.S. bilateral trade surplus - $26 billion in 2019 - with top U.S. export categories including semiconductors, diamonds, jewelry, beef and aircraft engines and parts. (Reporting by David Lawder editing by Heather Timmons and Jonathan Oatis) Voter turnout under 6 percent may not seem like an achievement for democracy, but it made Texas Democrats optimistic Wednesday as they look to break Republicans statewide dominance this fall. A total of 955,735 people 5.8% of registered voters cast ballots in Tuesdays Democratic runoffs. That is more than double the amount of votes cast in the 2018 Democratic runoffs, when a race for governor was at the top of the ticket instead of a race for a U.S. Senate seat. Party leaders said it was the highest raw number of votes cast in any Democratic primary runoff in history. Thats in large part due to the growing electorate, however. Turnout for the 1994 Democratic runoffs, featuring a U.S. Senate race between Dallas millionaire Richard Fisher and former Attorney General Jim Mattox, was 8.3%, though the number of votes was 746,641. Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said in a statement that the turnout showed that Texas Democrats are fired up and are ready for change. Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country, he said. There is unprecedented energy across our great state, and Texas Democrats are putting in the hard work to turn Texas blue in November. This is our moment. Republicans dont appear threatened. Dave Carney, longtime political strategist for Gov. Greg Abbott, dismissed the numbers on Twitter as not much to tweet about. We have this same phony debate every two years, he wrote. Its exhausting. Republicans didnt have any statewide runoffs Tuesday night, so there was no comparable vote count available. Turnout in runoffs can indeed be hard to evaluate. Often, the biggest influencer can be the nature of the races on the ballot. This year, the ballot was topped by a statewide race between retired Air Force pilot MJ Hegar and state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas. (Hegar emerged victorious.) Other years, there are no statewide competitions. But turnout hasnt cracked 3% in a Democratic runoff in the past decade. And the party had reasons to suspect numbers would be lower. This election was in July, usually a sleepy month in politics. Moreso, voting took place in the middle of a pandemic. Democrats had sued state leaders in an attempt to expand the availability of mail-in voting, but those lawsuits failed. We are really thrilled with the turnout for this, Hegar told reporters as results came in late Tuesday night. A primary runoff electorate should be really small. This is a symptom of trouble coming for John Cornyn this general. Patrick Svitek contributed reporting. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Bachelor in Paradise star Niranga Amarasinghe appears to have taken a swipe at the show's lack of diversity. The 28-year-old aircraft engineer wrote a telling message on his Instagram, as he shared a group photo of the remaining contestants after Thursday night's episode. 'People say one picture speaks a thousand words. This picture speaks an infinity,' wrote Niranga to his 3000 followers. 'One picture speaks a thousand words!' On Thursday night, Bachelor in Paradise star Niranga Amarasinghe (centre, back) appeared to take a swipe at the show's lack of diversity In the promotional image, the male bachelors are seen standing behind the female bachelorettes they gave roses to. In the centre of the group shot, Niranga is seen smiling, directly behind Mary Virturino. The couple, at this stage, are the only people of colour on the show. This fact wasn't lost on viewers of Channel Ten's popular franchise. 'They have a POC [person of colour] guy on #BachelorInParadiseAU and they don't give him any screen time. Please gimmie some diversity,' one fan begged on Twitter. Speaking out: The 28-year-old aircraft engineer wrote a telling message on his Instagram, as he shared a group photo of the remaining contestants after Thursday night's episode Telling: 'People say one picture speaks a thousand words. This picture speaks an infinity,' wrote Niranga to his 3000 followers 'You guys really need to stop casting token Asians and/or PoC for your bloody shows! Show some real DIVERSITY and by diversity I don't mean just blondes [or] brunettes,' quipped a second. 'Niranga chose Mary! Do they have a romance? We'll never know because there's literally no footage of them. Like any island where a group of white people turn up... this is skewing racist,' commented a third. A fourth was to the point: 'Give Niranga more screen time! it's almost like Channel Ten just threw him in there for some "diversity" and then said "eh... good enough."' Speaking out: 'They have a POC [person of colour] guy on #BachelorInParadiseAU and they don't give him any screen time. Please gimmie some diversity,' one fan begged on Twitter Another fan drew attention to the success story that is MasterChef: Back to Win. 'So after an amazing celebration of Australian diversity in #MasterChefAU we're going to #BachelorInParadiseAU where 11 of the 13 look to be white af and of course completely heteronormative,' they said. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Niranga and Channel Ten for comment. Bachelor in Paradise comes after the culinary cooking show celebrated its most diverse season yet. Scathing: 'So after an amazing celebration of Australian diversity in #MasterChefAU we're going to #BachelorInParadiseAU where 11 of the 13 look to be white af and of course completely heteronormative,' another fan pointed out Asian Australians have made up one-third of the returning favourites on Back to Win. Contestants Brendan Pang, Khanh Ong, Reynold Poernomo and Poh Ling Yeow are all of Asian descent, as are Sarah Tiong, Jess Liemantara and Amina Elshafei, who is of Korean and Egyptian descent. Ousted contestant Ben Ungermann, who was dropped from the series, is of Indonesian and Dutch descent. Diverse: Asian Australians have made up one-third of the contestants this season. Pictured left to right: Jess Liemantara, Khanh Ong, Poh, Brendan Pang and Reynold Poernomo The ratings juggernaut has also included a number of openly gay constants including Brendan Pang, Reece Hignell, Courtney Roulston and Khanh Ong. Judge Melissa Leong told The Herald Sun on July 5 that many viewers finally have a reflection of themselves on TV. 'Everybody deserves to be seen and to be heard. Regardless of whether that is your culture, your language, who you love, your ability, or the way you chose to live your life, everybody deserves to be seen and be heard. She added that 'it makes me very happy that people who look like me' can see themselves on TV. A Middlesex County woman alleges she was shackled to a hospital bed during her labor, which required an epidural and a C-section, by correctional officers a practice long condemned by medical professionals, according to a federal lawsuit filed last week. The lawsuit details the final months of the 30-year-olds pregnancy and the birth of her son in 2018 as she was remanded to the Middlesex County jail following a substance abuse relapse in a drug court program. From allegedly having her ankle shackled to her bed in labor while experiencing painful contractions to being restrained in the postpartum recovery room, the lawsuit alleges the woman, whose identity is anonymous, experienced the unnecessary and barbaric practice of shackling pregnant women. What stands out to me is how needless and cruel it was to put restraints on her, Katie Rosenfeld, one of the attorneys representing the woman, said in an interview this week. It is very emotional for her and deeply traumatic for her. It remains a sore in her life, she added. This was the manner in which her only son who is now a lovely, healthy 2-year-old boy came into the world. Shackling pregnant inmates during labor has long been denounced by correctional and medical professionals as it increases the potential for harm to the woman and baby, according to the American Medical Association. The New Jersey Department of Corrections adopted new regulations in 2017 that prohibited shackling pregnant inmates, though it did not become a state law until Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Dignity for Incarcerated Primary Caretaker Parents Act earlier this year. Even at that time, everyone understood that shackling a woman during labor was the wrong thing to do medically and doing so showed a deliberate indifference to medical needs, said Larry Lustberg, another attorney representing the woman. However, the lawsuit alleges that there were other pregnant women at the Middlesex County jail and Middlesex County officers used restraints on all pregnant prisoners who were confined at the same time in 2018 as the woman who brought the lawsuit. The other women are not named and are not apart of the lawsuit. The woman in the lawsuit declined to comment through her attorney, though Rosenfeld said the woman really wants to make sure other people there dont go through this. According to the lawsuit, the case is about Middlesex Countys inhumane and dangerous conduct of shackling a pregnant prisoner. The 30-count lawsuit filed against the county, its jail, the sheriffs office and the officers who allegedly shackled the woman includes allegations of deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, subjecting her to dangerous and inhumane conditions of confinement and excessive force. The warden of the correctional facility, Mark J. Cranston, did not return multiple requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. Neither did county officials or the sheriffs office. The woman was four months pregnant at the time she was incarcerated at the Middlesex County jail, according to the lawsuit. From February until July when the woman was transported to off-site medical appointments or court appearances, the lawsuit alleges that the officers transporting her unnecessarily restrained (the woman) by placing her in handcuffs, despite being well aware she was pregnant. Her experience allegedly worsened, according to the lawsuit, as she went into labor on July 11. Around 9 p.m. that day, the womans water broke. She pleaded with jail staff to allow her to call her family to let them know she was going into labor, but the staff refused to permit her to call her family, and also refused to do so themselves, according to the lawsuit. No one from her family would know she was in the hospital until the next day, according to the lawsuit. She was soon transported to St. Peters University Hospital in handcuffs by correctional officers. When she arrived at the hospital, she was allowed to use her hands to change into a gown and use the bathroom, but when she got into the hospital bed, an officer allegedly immediately shackled her right ankle to the bedrail, according to the lawsuit. The shackle was allegedly extremely tight and caused the woman pain, the lawsuit alleges. She was trapped on her back and unable to fully turn to her side or otherwise easily changing positions to manage the extreme pain of labor, according to the lawsuit. When a nurse asked if the woman being shackled was necessary, according to the lawsuit, one of the officers in the room allegedly said he was following protocol. Over the next 12 hours, the woman allegedly remained shackled through the majority of labor as officers from the Middlesex County jail and Middlesex County Sheriffs Office monitored her in rotations, according to the lawsuit. The woman, according to the lawsuit, continually asked to be unshackled and have her family notified that she was in labor. Officers allegedly refused to both. She was a really brave advocate for herself and yet, she couldnt convince them to stop this conduct so I think about other people who maybe arent as together in this moment as she was and may have been subjected to worse shackling practices by these defendants, Rosenfeld said. In one instance, officers also allegedly initially refused to remove the ankle restraint when the woman was going to receive an epidural, but they eventually removed it briefly so it could be administered, according to the lawsuit. The officers put the restraint back on immediately after the epidural, even though the woman lost the ability to use her legs effectively and was not a flight risk, according to the lawsuit. Doctors soon determined an emergency C-section needed to be performed. As she was wheeled to the operating room, the officers did not remove the ankle restraint on her, according to the lawsuit. Shortly after 10 a.m. on July 12, the woman gave birth to a boy who weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces. When medical personnel handed (the woman) her baby, in what should have been a purely joyous moment, (the woman) cried because she was alone, humiliated, and shackled to a bed, the lawsuit says. Her family, including her fiance, was unaware of the birth of her child until afterward, according to the lawsuit. Rosenfeld, the womans attorney, said not allowing the woman to contact her family was gratuitously nasty. According to the lawsuit, the woman remained in the hospital the next few days and at nights, she allegedly remained shackled to the bed. When she was transported back to the Middlesex County jail she was cuffed with her hands behind her back and also cuffed around her ankles, according to the lawsuit. When asked why she was being restrained like that, an officer allegedly said, youre not pregnant anymore, according to the lawsuit. The woman has since been released from the jail. On Sunday, she celebrated her sons second birthday. But a cloud still hangs over head of how she was allegedly treated as her first child was born, Rosenfeld said. It is something that has haunted her for the last two years, she said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. One of Ontarios premier blues festival is the latest casualty of COVID-19. The Canal Bank Shuffle in Thorold, which gathers about 35 acts in multiple venues every October, has pulled the plug for 2020. Organizer Bob Liddycoat says even if provincial restrictions for concert crowds start loosening up in time for October, its too late for Niagaras largest music festival. The situation made it impossible, he says. We would need everything to be wide open right now in order to even plan. The festival usually has plenty of American performers, and the closed border made this years event a long shot, Liddycoat adds. Even if we went with an all-Canadian (line-up), wed still have to know right now, he says. And we just dont. The sponsors too. Weve got a program thats been heavily supported by local business and it probably not economically feasible for them to pay for those ads this year. It will be the first time in 18 years the four-day festival wont happen. Its also the final music festival in Niagara to announce its cancellation this year. Founded in 2002 with 12 Canadian acts, the festival has been a drawing card for blues buffs from Toronto and Buffalo. Liddycoat says many blues acts which couldnt find gigs in the big cities would be booked for multiple shows in Thorold. The event has also raised more than $200,000 for local charities over the years. Despite not having a program this year, Liddycoat says hes always focussed on the festival, and plans to have shows throughout the year in Thorold with pandemic safety measures in place. We dont want to let that reputation go, he says. In the meantime, we hope to run some one-night events. We always had six or seven one-offs every year, so maybe that will start up again. (Bloomberg) -- This spring, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale gave the operation he had been building for the last three years a nickname: the Death Star. It is firing on all cylinders. Data, Digital, TV, Political, Surrogates, Coalitions, etc. In a few days we start pressing FIRE for the first time, he wrote on Twitter Inc. But now that the time has come for the Death Star to be fully operational, Parscale has been removed from its command. On Wednesday night President Donald Trump replaced Parscale with Bill Stepien, his administrations former political director. Parscale will stay on to run the campaigns digital and data operations. But it was a humbling demotion for the operative who was largely seen as the mastermind of Trumps unconventional 2016 run, and a reminder that campaigns are about more than tactics. As head of Trumps digital operations four years ago, Parscale ran an aggressive advertising operation that focused on Facebook Inc., using the companys Lookalike Audiences tool to target users of the social network who met the profile of Trump supporters. The campaign also engaged in a strategy of self-described voter suppression, where it targeted Black voters, White liberals and young women with anti-Hillary Clinton messages. Trumps campaign also ignored conventional wisdom to target states like Wisconsin and Michigan that the Clinton campaign seemed to take for granted. Just days before the 2016 election, reporters were asking why the campaign was sending Trump to Grand Rapids, Michigan. But Parscale and his digital operation ultimately won the support of enough working class white voters to pull out surprise victories in those states. He became a sudden star, and Democratic strategists worried that his success showed that theyd fallen far behind in online campaigning, setting up 2020 as a do-over. Now the Trump campaign is in a deep slump, for reasons that have less to do with campaign tactics and more to do with the presidents performance on the coronavirus. I think the shake-up is to be expected. Indeed, the only surprise here is that it has taken this long, said Steven Livingston, the founding director at the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at George Washington University. It can be explained by two words: Tulsa and polls, he said, referencing the presidents poorly-attended campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When youre running about 15 percentage points behind your opponent, somethings got to give. That something was Brad Parscale. Story continues Many campaign expertsincluding Parscale himselfsay that what he did in 2016 wasnt so revolutionary. Brad Parscale is no digital dark arts genius, says Tara McGowan, founder and CEO of Acronym, a non-profit associated with the Democratic Party that is focused on digital campaigning. Brad was proficient at digital marketing best practices, took them seriously and he was empowered to do them seriously at scale. Trump named Parscale as his campaign manager in early 2018a remarkably early decisionand Parscale began laying the groundwork for an even more aggressive data operation for the presidents re-election bid. The campaign spent heavily online. It has used waves of ads on Facebook and Alphabet Inc.s Google to ask voters to sign petitions on behalf of the president, often highlighting culture war conflicts that motivate Trumps strongest supporters. The targeted ads are often aimed at getting people to share an email address so the campaign can assemble profiles on prospective voters in order to turn them out to vote. Trumps mobile application, which in June had nearly 800,000 downloads, asks for permission to access far more data than the campaign app of Joe Biden, his Democratic rival, according to MIT Technology Review. It has also been fastidiously collecting voters phone numbers. Parscales fixation on data collection was a factor in one of the campaigns largest failures to date: the sparsely-attended rally in Tulsa. The campaign continued to collect reservations even after the waiting list had far more people than the venue could accommodate. Parscale boasted that the large number of total reservationswhich were inflated by a prank by Trump opponentswas a sign of deep support. When voters didnt turn out for the rally, he tried to position the real-world outcome as inconsequential, since the campaign got their data anyway. Parscale did other things to alienate the president. He took the unusual strategy of turning his own Facebook page into a sort of campaign surrogate. He has attracted headlines for his Ferrari and $400,000 boat. He violated campaign rule 101 which is dont promote yourself more than you promote the campaign, said Ben Nuckels, a Democratic media consultant and former campaign manager. Demoting Parscale suggests the campaign sees its problems in terms of flawed tactics, according to Livingston. He described its strategy as, change leadership and get yourself a new tactical strategist. But its not clear how much Stepien intends to change the strategy, especially with Parscale continuing to run the digital operation. In a statement Thursday, Stepien said Parscale would be heavily involved, and questioned the accuracy of the polls showing Biden with a large lead. We have a better team, better voter information, a better ground game, better fundraising, and most importantly, a better candidate with a better record, he said. Many people who are following the campaign see Trumps problems as running far deeper than Parscale. It doesnt matter how good your tactical strategy is if your message is not resonating with voters, McGowan said. I was surprised that they werent savvier to pivot to a new message strategy. They were just going back to what worked in 2016, and the world is very different now. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The recently inaugurated Steering Committee for Nigeria Digital Identity for Development Ecosystem Project is a pointer to the commitment of government to sustain its digital transformation drive, writes Emma Okonji Since the commencement of the registration of National Identification Number (NIN) and the issuance of national identity cards in 2012 by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the government agency has been struggling to achieve its mandate of ensuring that all Nigerians including those in Diaspora, are registered and are issued with NIN and permanent identity cards. The NIMC Act of 2007 stipulates that the NIN is a unique identifier for all citizens and legal residents; and must be presented and verified to confirm their identities before other functional agencies can provide service. According to NIMC Act, all Nigerians are expected to register for NIN and NIMC is mandated by law to ensure the enforcement of the provisions of the law on NIN registration. In spite of the law, NIMC has encountered many challenges, especially financial, in achieving its mandate. For instance, in eight years, NIMC has struggled to achieve only 41 million NIN registrations, even though the figure accelerated from seven million in 2015 to 39 million by the end 2019 and 41 million. Worried by the challenges militating against the speedy registration of NIN, the federal government, in September 2018, through approved a strategic roadmap for accelerating the development of digital identity in Nigeria using the ecosystem approach by leveraging the capabilities and facilities of public and private sectors to speed up enrolment. Government also got commitment and approval from three development partners - the World Bank, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and the European Union (EU) - to fund the roadmap implementation in the tune of $433 million. Recently, the federal government went ahead to inaugurate a Steering Committee for the Nigeria Digital Identity for Development Ecosystem Project, to fast-track the implementation of the strategic roadmap for accelerating digital identity development for Nigeria. The committee Inaugurating the committee, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, who also doubles as the Chairman of the team, said digital identification is central and critical to realising the objective of the government's Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP). He said the strategic roadmap, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2018, "is a culmination of the enormous collective efforts and contributions of so many institutions and stakeholders which began in the year 2015 when this Government took a decision to forge a credible and cost-effective pathway for identification management." To accelerate the implementation of the strategic roadmap, therefore, "Government considered and adopted a three-tiered institutional arrangement comprising a Steering Committee, a Strategic Unit, an Implementation Unit situated in the NIMC, and with responsibilities for providing overall governance and coordination, ecosystem partners' coordination and communication and day-to-day project implementation respectively." The Project Steering Committee was established as the highest body with the responsibility of providing policy, institutional and operational guidance towards delivering on the identification vision and promise of the strategic roadmap. Members of the Steering Committee were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari. Members of the committee include Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha as Chairman; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed as Alternate Chairman/Member; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami as member. Other members of the committee are: Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu; Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami; Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Dr. Garba Abari, and the Director-General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, who is member/secretary. Committee's mandate Among other things, the committee is charged to positively steer the project to accomplish government's objectives, consolidate efforts to date and deliver goals outlined in the strategic roadmap. Mustapha said the work of the steering committee shall be guided by the following terms of reference as approved by President Buhari, which include: to review the legal and regulatory framework for digital identity development; implement the strategic roadmap; utilise foundational identity to access services; determine the location of the ecosystem strategic unit; and receive the report on the implementation through the DG NIMC and provide necessary guidance and approval. Addressing the committee at inauguration, Mustapha said the strategic roadmap would offer a credible pathway for the government to develop identification, at a low cost, fast pace and in a trusted environment. "The task before the committee is to ensure that Federal Government of Nigeria leverages the existing ecosystem of government agencies, states, and trusted private partners to carry out nationwide enrolment through a viable partnership strategy with an effective public awareness campaign. "As a nation, we have a lot of grounds to cover and our fundamental ID goal can only be reached through joint efforts and coordinated approach. "Of course, without meaning to enumerate the issues associated with the absence of a foundational ID system which you are all familiar with, the existence of a National Identification Number (NIN) for all Nigerians would improve our delivery of Government services," he said. While giving assurance that the federal government is "fully committed to early actualisation of this Project to enhance effective development and efficient delivery of government services," the SGF added that discussions, contributions, and decisions of the Committee "are expected to help build foundations towards the institutionalisation of a robust and reliable system of identity envisioned to link all functional identities including a digitised civil registration system with the NIN." The task One of the challenges facing NIMC in the discharge of its mandate on NIN registration is funding, which has over time, limited its speed of operations. Industry stakeholders are looking up to the steering committee to live up to expectations and ensure that the necessary framework is put in place to reposition NMIC to expand its registration centres across the country. The registration centres are expected to expanded from the present 1,000 registration nationwide to over 5,000 registration in order to decongest the crowd at all its 1,000 centres nationwide. Nigeria is a big country with a huge population and creating awareness and sensitising about 200 million people is not an easy task and requires a lot of resources and logistics to achieve, in terms of NIN registration. Industry stakeholders therefore, called on the steering committee to ensure that NIMC is able to develop its infrastructure framework that will enable it carry out awareness drive nationwide on NIN registration. President of Computer Society of Nigeria, Prof. Adesina Sodiya, who had earlier frowned upon the slow pace of NIN registration, called on the steering committee to ensure they put in place, measures that will make NIMC financially buoyant to implement projects that will speed up NIN registration and issuance of permanent national ID cards. Sodiya said NCS shall support NIMC to create a framework for issuance of temporary National Identity Number using complex data matching algorithm and facial recognition. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria ICT By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "This will allow Nigerians to register for NIMC by themselves using a simple mobile phones. The application will be capable of working offline with upload to the central server when the network is available. Nigerians can get their NIN in a "Do it Yourself," framework and from the comfort of their homes. NIMC can still collect and add fingerprints later for the temporary NIN to be permanent, if fingerprint is important," he said. President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola, called on the steering committee to make recommendations that would address the issue of paucity of funds at NIMC, to enable the government agency have sufficient funds to roll out its infrastructure nationwide in order to reach more Nigerians and get them registered to obtain their NIN. According to him, "The committee should seek to work with NIMC management to address the issues raised on poor funding, the challenges identified in the Nigerian Broadband Plan 2020-2025. The funding recommendations may bring some solutions to how the identified gaps can be closed. "With the harmonisation of SIM registration database with NIMC database, it is assumed that most of the challenges identified will be resolved. Further funding will also remove the barriers of access to easier capture of citizen information in a speedily manner. Other solutions will be considered during implementation to accelerate the process." He, however, said: "The population size and lack of coordinated birth records alongside an updated census data set makes the task a very cumbersome one. Adoption of innovative data capturing and cross checking of disparate data to ensure a robust national ID database is going to require more effort from all relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)." France will make masks obligatory in all indoor spaces open to the public, with effect from next week, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. Mr Castex told the Senate in Paris that the coronavirus situation was heading in a rather positive direction on the national level. There were, however, certain local situations that call for greater vigilance, he said, citing the South American territory of French Guiana. France was one of the European countries hardest hit by the virus, with more than 30,000 deaths. A strict lockdown was in place from March 17 to May 11. The countrys public health agency warned last week that the number of confirmed cases was rising again in mainland France, but remained at a low level. President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that he wanted masks to be made obligatory indoors within weeks. They are already compulsory on public transport and in most of the cultural sites that have reopened. In bars and restaurants, staff must wear masks, as must customers if they are moving around inside though that rule is often not followed. READ ALSO: The new decree will also apply to all shops, and Mr Castex said workplace protocols could also be revised to make them compulsory in workplaces that are not open to the public. Mr Castex, who was appointed by Macron two weeks ago, said he expected negative economic growth of 11 per cent this year due to the virus, which would be Frances worst recession on record. (dpa/NAN) Garth Williams white quad-cab pick-up truck rolled into the Triple Rock Ranch, a scenic property on the Blackfoot River, last Friday fully loaded. He and his colleague, Cody White, debated the best spot to get to work as vehicles rolled past on the dirt road to the Ninemile Prairie Campground. Unlike them, these two decided to avoid the water. They werent here to re-create, they were here to paint. The two Idaho landscape artists came to western Montana for the Dana Gallerys 18th annual Plein Air Paint-Out, a choose-your-own-adventure celebration of making art in the elements, where the trade-off for a beautiful view are obstacles such as heat, rain, wind, potential lightning and invasive bugs, along with the ever-shifting color and light. This particular afternoon, Williams and Cody held out their phones, or folded their forefingers and thumbs into square view-finders and scanned the area for a composition. Williams had advised against bringing their gear all the way down to the river, which, while tempting in theory, would burn up the half-gone afternoon for the sake of a view mostly obscured by vegetation. So they studied the hills around them, and both having found their spot, began unloading the truck, whose interior and bed were stuffed with canvases, plastic tubs and buckets, several of which contained an arsenal of caulking guns filled with oil paint. After a false start, the two paused and brought out their tent, too. Beyond providing relief from the 80-degree heat, Williams explained how the brightness of direct sun on his canvas would make it difficult to paint properly. Once theyd picked smaller-scale ones they could execute in part of an afternoon, they got to work. Williams lay his materials out on two folding tables, where he could paint with a palette knife instead of a brush, and mixed on the canvas with those caulking guns. Earlier that day, Williams had set up in Hamilton and painted a road lined with trees and a crooked fence, with the mountains looming the background an impressionist through and through, the green canopy sculpted from squares of pigment. The road was shades of deep purple and mauve. Williams learned to paint from Robert Moore, the award-winning painter based in Declo, Idaho. The ability to elaborate on natures palette while creating a legible landscape is something he picked up from Moore, who has a novel system that teaches that value lights and darks take precedence over hue. Williams explained that as long as the hillsides are rendered with the correct intensities, hes given more freedom with the colors he picks. White, too, is an apprentice of Moores, who he met at church and soon became engrossed in painting in favor of his original path of culinary arts. Its his fourth Paint-Out, which he loves in part for the mountains and the tamaracks, which arent native to his stomping grounds. I always know when I get close to Missoula, I start seeing those trees, he said. White blocked in shapes, such as the distant hills and road. He moved one tree farther toward the center of his canvas to make the piece more interesting. While some landscape artists are purists about such things, he prefers to edit as needed. Youll see things that look awkward, but you dont have to paint that. As an artist, we can know what looks good and add on that, he said. In some cases, there might be, say, a tree lining up too closely with a mountain, that if reproduced verbatim, would destroy the illusion of distance hes trying to generate. *** Anna Moore, daughter of Robert Moore, brought a more portable plein air set-up: a folding wooden easel, and so she chose a farther point where she could paint a hollow in the trees framing the mountains on the distant east end of the valley. Moore, also of Idaho, was painting her first piece of the Paint Out, blocking in her composition with a muted brown base before expanding upon it. She didnt immerse herself in painting until college, studying graphic design eventually, and working with her father after graduation and showing work at the Dana. Its very generous of heart for Montana people to embrace us Idaho painters, she said. Its her third Paint Out, and while she typically paints from photos in her studio, I prefer to paint outside. Theres a lot more inspiration, way more things to pick up and run with. The photographs feel stifling. In nature, though, youre bombarded. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Scientists have been left baffled after a mysterious alien-like sea creature washed ashore at a popular beach. The pink blob-like creature was photographed by Damien Said just north of Hervey Bay in Queensland. Beachgoers struggled to identify the mottled pink and white sea creature after images were posted to Facebook by environmental conservation organisation SCF Australia. The gelatinous pink blob was photographed by Damien Said just north of Hervey Bay in Queensland One of the images was set taken beside the photographer's foot to show the sea creature's enormous size 'Can anyone ID this?' they wrote. Three images were posted alongside the request for information of a translucent jellyfish lookalike. One of the images was set taken beside the photographer's foot to show the sea creature's enormous size. Many social media users were stumped and noted its 'alien' features, but a few people suggested it may be a type of nudibranch - or sea slug. The invertebrate species are bottom dwelling creatures with more than 2,000 known species. 'This is a hooded nudibranch of the genus Melibe. What an amazing animal!' one person posted. But one follower was more concerned about the photographer's safety. 'Why would you place your foot near it? It might sting you,' they wrote. Experts at the Australian Museum are seen images and are working to identify the species, according to Yahoo news. The mysterious creature washed ashore north of Hervey Bay in Queensland (pictured) An international expert group led by Mathias Wirth, Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at the University of Bern, has developed recommendations for avoiding triage of COVID-19 patients in extreme situations. The recommendations should support medical personnel in difficult decisions during a second wave of the infection and ensure better patient care. "A lack of intensive care ventilation units owing to rapidly increasing infection rates numbers among the most significant nightmare scenarios of the corona pandemic," says Mathias Wirth, Head of the Ethics Department in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Bern, because: "Shortages of supply can result in triage of patients suffering from severe cases of COVID-19 and thus force a life or death decision." Here, triage means favoring some COVID-19 patients over others depending on urgency and prognosis. Together with experts from Yale University, King's College London, Charite Berlin and Essen University Hospital, medical ethicist Mathias Wirth has prepared a statement on these difficult decisions. The statement was published in the "American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB)", the most frequently cited scientific journal in the entire field of ethics. Triage is only ethically justifiable under very specific circumstances The experts warn against the possibility of prematurely implementing triage; even though triage allows for decisions based on fairness in extreme situations, it leads to significant strain on the affected parties, relatives and medical personnel. In order to avoid it, every effort must be made to transfer seriously ill patients to other hospitals without shortages of supply - across country borders in case of emergency, according to the authors. In concrete terms, Mathias Wirth's team of researchers recommend increased regional, national and even international collaboration in intensive care for COVID-19 patients in preparation for future waves of infection. Just because triage is correct under some circumstances does not mean that it is correct under all circumstances. There is no real and legitimate triage situation as long as treatment spaces are available elsewhere." Mathias Wirth, Head of the Ethics, Department in the Faculty of Theology, University of Bern Negative decision requires special care Secondly, a negative triage decision for individual people should not under any circumstances mean that their medical and psychological care is neglected. Quite the opposite: If they are deprived of a ventilator, maximum effort is required for their care and treatment, both for them and for their relatives. The statement from Wirth et al. presents all stakeholders who advocate for more collaboration in the future situation with strong arguments. Because the judgments associated with triage give too little consideration to moral problems, according to medical ethicists. "The suffering that triage decisions involved for patients, relatives and medical personnel in the epicenters of the first wave attests to this," says Wirth. Thanks to the recommendations, triage planning can be classified more clearly as a last resort, meaning that alternatives must be afforded greater attention. Doctors in Kisumu County have called off their strike after 35 days of boycotting work following yesterday's ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court. Justice Nduma Nderi had directed them to resume work by tomorrow (Thursday) and directed the County Government to effect promotions and salary arrears by August 30. Consequently, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Nyanza branch on Wednesday asked all its members to resume work immediately and not later than 11:59 Thursday. Chairman Dr Kevin Osuri and Secretary Dr Lameck Omweri said they remain hopeful that Governor Anyang' Nyong'o's administration will respect court orders. The doctors were protesting the county's failure to honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2017. Justice Nderi ordered Kisumu County to issue promotion letters to 126 doctors and clear their salary arrears by August 30, backdating those promoted to July 2019. PUBLIC INTEREST The Judge said that while they were engaged in a strike, the court had considered the overriding public interest in deciding to direct the doctors to resume work due to Covid-19. The doctors have been on strike since June 6 and efforts by the County to have them resume work flopped. The union had remained adamant that their demands, which include promotions and salary arrears, needed to be met first. Their counterparts, the nurses and clinicians who were also on strike, suspended their boycott on June 24 after a similar order by the Labour court. Last week, Dr Nyong'o held an emergency meeting with members of the County Health Management Team and ordered them to find a solution to the doctors' strike. "I want to you to find out why the doctors are still on strike when I have addressed most of their grievances. Why are they not in hospitals?" The governor posed to the management team. He asked the striking doctors to stop blame games and resume work as their pending grievances are addressed. Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Philippe Barbarin in 2019. Cardinal Barbarin was France's highest-ranking Catholic until he was convicted f failing to report sex abuse - HO/AFP The Vatican has issued new advice to bishops on reporting cases of sexual abuse of minors by priests. A new 30-page manual published on Thursday tells bishops they must report abuse to civil authorities even if they are not obliged to by local law, strengthening its official guidance on an issue that has caused significant damage. The much-awaited vademecum doesnt introduce new legislation on the issue, but represents a key step forward in the Vatican's efforts to fully report and investigate cases of priests accused of raping and molesting minors or vulnerable adults. The request for this new tool was made during the global summit of the presidents of the episcopal conferences on the protection of minors, organized by Pope Francis in February 2019 to address what he called one of the deepest wounds in Church history. In the new document, issued in six languages, the Vatican tells bishops and high prelates to report possible sex crimes even when not obliged by local laws, strengthening the current policies that require Church authorities to report allegations only when legally bound. Even in cases where there is no explicit legal obligation to do so, the ecclesiastical authorities should make a report to the competent civil authorities, if this is considered necessary to protect the person involved or other minors from the danger of further criminal acts," the manual says. Chilean victim of sexual abuse, Juan Carlos Cruz, addresses the media outside the entrance of the Paul-VI residence in 2019 - VINCENZO PINTO/AFP The guide seems aimed at stripping clerical authorities of any excuse not to launch a preliminary investigation into alleged sex crimes or not to cooperate with law enforcement. The manual states that allegations should not be dismissed even if there has not been a formal complaint, or if the news was first published via mass media or social media, or even if the source is anonymous. Even in these cases, the guide suggests an attentive evaluation of any type of information received. Story continues The manual stresses that the protection of the victims is the top priority. It calls for ecclesiastical authorities to ensure that the alleged victim and his or her family are treated with dignity and respect. They have to be offered welcome, attentive hearing and support, also through specific services, as well as spiritual, medical and psychological help, as required by the specific case. The guide adds, however, that the same can be done with regard to the accused, who must always be guaranteed the right to self-defense. The definition of sex abuse provided by the manual is quite broad and can include sexual relations (consensual or non-consensual); physical contact for sexual gratification; exhibitionism and masturbation; the production of pornography; inducement to prostitution and conversations and/or propositions of a sexual nature, which can also occur through various means of communication. COLUMBUS, OhioDuring the first few weeks of the coronavirus crisis, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine won widespread praise from a large number of Democrats for his swift stay-at-home and business closure orders. But if the response to DeWines coronavirus speech Wednesday evening is any sign, the governors coronavirus honeymoon with Democrats is quickly giving way to criticism for not implementing a statewide mask requirement and continuing to roll back other social-distancing rules even as cases in Ohio are again on the rise. In his speech, DeWine urged all Ohioans to take immediate action to slow the spread of the virus, including wearing masks while in public. But he also didnt announce any new health orders, saying that discussion is for another time. As Ohioans tuned in tonight seeking assurance during these chaotic and frightening times, many of us hoped to see the governor take decisive action to slow the spread of COVID-19, said Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes in a statement following DeWines speech. Instead, what we witnessed was a governor who refuses to lead in times of crisis for fear of standing up to the political pressure within his own party. His cowardice keeps him from doing the right thing, and keeps Ohioans suffering far longer than is necessary, Sykes continued. David Pepper, the Ohio Democratic Partys chair who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general against DeWine in 2014, noted in a statement that he publicly praised the governor in the early months of the coronavirus crisis. I could not be more disappointed in his speech today, Pepper said. As cases and deaths rise, he announced nothing that will change that direction. ...More must be done. Immediately. And a broad, bipartisan majority of Ohioans strongly supports more being done. A number of Democratic candidates for state legislature tweeted similar criticism of DeWines speech. A big nothingburger with a side of disappointment, wrote Patricia Lawrence, the 2018 Democratic nominee for House District 65, a heavily Republican district in Clermont County. DeWines fellow Republicans, meanwhile, offered little public response to his speech. State Rep. Jon Cross, a Northwest Ohio Republican whos been a vocal critic of the DeWine administrations coronavirus orders, tweeted during the speech that people should check out a new program offering grants for technology training. A spokesman for Senate President Larry Obhof, a Medina Republican, didnt immediately reply to a request for comment about the governors remarks. When asked for a statement about the speech, House Speaker Larry Householder, a Perry County Republican who has also frequently criticized DeWines coronavirus rules, issued a one-sentence statement Wednesday evening. He did a nice job, the speaker stated. Read more Ohio politics and government stories: Gov. Mike DeWine signs mini-capital bill providing $555M for state construction, conservation projects Ohio Supreme Court to hear media case over releasing video footage of judges shooting Suit challenging Ohio State University airports tax exemption accepted by state Supreme Court Ohio travelers must now quarantine when visiting New York, New Jersey, Connecticut due to coronavirus spike Ohios new color-coded coronavirus alert system guidelines leave a lot of room for interpretation China is engaged in an economic blitzkrieg to supplant the United States as the worlds only superpower, Attorney General William Barr declared Thursday -- the latest in a series of scathing comments about Beijing by top Trump Administration officials. Speaking at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Barr said the U.S. response to Chinas global ambitions may prove to be the most important issue for our nation and the world in the twenty-first century. China uses a variety of predatory and often unlawful tactics to gain an advantage over the U.S., according to Barr. How the United States responds to this challenge will have historic implications and will determine whether the United States and its liberal democratic allies will continue to shape their own destiny or whether the CCP and its autocratic tributaries will control the future, Barr said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Among Chinas alleged predatory practices Barr listed were currency manipulation, tariffs, quotas, state-led strategic investment and acquisitions, theft and forced transfer of intellectual property, state subsidies, dumping, cyberattacks, and espionage. US Imposes Visa Restrictions on Chinese Tech Companies' Employees Announcement is seen as the latest move to punish Chinese Communist Partys alleged human rights abuses against country's minority Muslim population Beijing has long rejected many of the assertions made in Barrs speech. Chinas foreign minister warned on Wednesday that Beijing will retaliate with sanctions of its own against U.S. individuals and entities. The ministry said that Hong Kong affairs are purely Chinas internal affairs and no foreign country has the right to interfere, according to media reports. American business leaders remain the principal focus of Chinese foreign influence operations, said the attorney general. He warned that U.S. executives who fail to disclose their relations with China could run afoul of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. FARA requires agents of foreign governments to disclose their activities and their relationship with foreign entities. You should be alert to how you might be used, and how your efforts on behalf of a foreign company or government could implicate the law, Barr said. The attorney generals speech comes amid elevated tensions between the U.S. and China and is the latest in Trump administration officials often strident remarks about Beijings global ambitions in recent weeks. Last month, National Security Advisor Robert OBrien said decades-long U.S. efforts to moderate the Chinese communist system resulted in the greatest failure of American foreign policy since the 1930s. US Mulls Ending Deal Underpinning Trading in Chinese Companies Frustration at lack of Chinese transparency is driving move that could push Chinese firms off US exchanges The days of American passivity and naivete regarding the Peoples Republic of China are over, OBrien told a group of Arizona business executives on June 24. FBI Director Christopher Wray weighed in last week, saying China poses the greatest long-term threat to U.S. economic and national security. Almost half of the FBIs 5,000 counter-intelligence cases involve China. The bureau is opening a new China case every ten hours, Wray said. And at this very moment, China is working to compromise American health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and academic institutions conducting essential COVID-19 research, Wray said during remarks at the Hudson Institute on July 7. In the coming days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will sum up what is at stake for the United States and the free world, Barr said. I hope these speeches will inspire the American people to reevaluate their relationship with China, so long as it continues to be ruled by the Communist Party, he said. The speeches come as U.S. and China have clashed over a host of issues ranging from trade to Hong Kongs autonomy and the coronavirus pandemic. While at one time President Trump aggressively sought to strike a trade deal with China, his administration is taking an increasingly hawkish stance toward Beijing, blaming China for initially covering up the coronavirus and for undermining Hong Kongs autonomy by imposing strict national security laws. On Wednesday, Trump signed legislation and an executive order that said the U.S. will hold China accountable for its oppressive actions against the people of Hong Kong. The legislation imposes sanctions on Chinese officials who undermine Hong Kongs autonomy, while the executive order ends preferential treatment to Hong Kong. WASHINGTON, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Research Council is pleased to announce that Bob Fu has joined FRC's Center for Religious Liberty as Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom. As religious persecution continues to spread around the world, and as China in particular continues to play a troubling role, Bob will bring to FRC his specific expertise handling religious freedom issues in that country. Bob was a former student leader in China during the Tiananmen Square democracy movement in 1989, and a professor and house church leader in Beijing until he and his wife, Bochun "Heidi" Cai, were imprisoned in 1996. After he was exiled to the United States, in 2002 Bob founded ChinaAid and continued to advocate for religious freedom in China. Bob is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and regularly testifies and briefs policymakers and legislators on religious freedom and national security, foreign policy, and rule of law, as well as refugee issues in the free world. He graduated with a Ph.D. from St. John's College at the University of Durham in the U.K. in the field of religious freedom. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins stated: "We are pleased to have Bob Fu join our team, as his expertise will assist and bolster our efforts to advance religious freedom in China and around the world." Bob Fu, Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom at FRC, added: "I am very honored to join the talented team at FRC as I continue to fight for religious freedom in China and elsewhere around the world. Working together, we can better advance religious freedom for the persecuted worldwide." SOURCE Family Research Council A British man convicted of killing a French woman in Ireland in 1996 appeared in court on Wednesday to fight his extradition to France to serve a 25-year murder sentence. Ian Bailey, now 63, appeared at Dublin's Criminal Courts of Justice to resist surrender to France, which last year convicted him in absentia of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Plantier, the 39-year old wife of French film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, was found dead outside her isolated holiday home near the seaside village of Schull in County Cork on December 23, 1996. Bailey, who has denied any involvement in the killing, did not speak as he watched proceedings from the back of the courtroom early Wednesday, wearing a navy suit and tie and a green neck scarf. His lawyer Ronan Munro insisted that two previous Irish court rulings blocking French extradition bids gave him an "ironclad" right not to be surrendered. "The central submission is that there is a binding judgement of the supreme court that prohibits the surrender of Ian Bailey," Munro told judge Paul Burns. "In Mr Bailey's case there was a final judgement in 2012; if that wasn't enough there was another judgement in the high court in 2017." Munro said the third attempt to bring Bailey to France was "prima facie... indicative of an abuse of process." He added that it was "strange" French authorities had not invited Bailey to attend his own murder trial. He then read out a written statement from Bailey which said he had "nothing to do with" the death of du Plantier, discovered dead in the early morning wearing night clothes and having been beaten on the head with a concrete block. Bailey said in the affidavit that he had suffered panic attacks, depression and outbreaks of skin problems as a result of being "overwhelmed" by the stress of his 23-year-long involvement in the case. "My sleep patterns have been prone to being disturbed with very realistic hunt and re-arrest dreams," the statement said -- adding that he found the loss of his ability to work as a journalist "very distressing". "Because of my predicament of being a suspected murderer, news organisations were reluctant to be associated to me," said Bailey -- who has never been charged by Irish prosecutors over the case. He was furthermore unable to travel abroad for fear of being extradited to France and had to miss his mother's funeral -- an ordeal he described as "one of the cruellest aspects of this whole process". The trial is due to continue on Thursday and Friday with a decision to be delivered at a later date. (with AFP) Repeated incitement to violence, planned and organised rioting by armed mobs, targeting of religious places, and multiple incidents of police inaction these are some of the findings of a committee appointed by the Delhi Minorities Commission to probe the northeast Delhi riots in February. At least 53 persons died and 400 were injured in the riots that rocked the district. The committee, headed by Supreme Court advocate-on-record MR Shamshad, submitted its 130-page report to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia , other Delhi government ministers and speaker of the Delhi legislative assembly on Wednesday. The report has been based on individual victim testimonies and physical surveys of damage to religious sites. The committee said that in the Delhi election campaign between December 2019 and February 2020,multiple speeches delivered by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders such as Kapil Mishra tried to incite the people against anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters and called for forceful removal of protesters from the Jafrabad area. Mishra, who delivered one of his speeches on February 23, denied allegations. He told HT earlier that even legal experts said there was nothing wrong in what he said that day. What I said is captured in video, and everyone has seen that video (on social media), he said. Referring to local politicians, student activists and some leaders of anti-CAA protesters who were arrested, he had said: The truth of Delhi riots is out; how long they have planned, their funding and why they especially chose the days of [US President] Donald Trumps visit [in February-end]; everything is exposed already. The report said the violence was not spontaneous and had been planned. It said armed mobs selectively targeted Muslim individuals and properties while shouting slogans. The attacks were targeted to the extent that in instances where the owners were Hindus but the properties had been rented to Muslims, the buildings were spared but the moveable properties were looted or burned outside the premises, the report said. Eleven mosques, five madrasas, one shrine and one graveyard were attacked and damaged in the violence, the report said, adding: Non-Muslim places of worship in Muslim majority areas remained untouched and were guarded by Muslims neighbours during the riots. Multiple testimonies collected by the Fact-Finding Committee recount reports of police inaction even as violence unfolded before them, or of police not arriving despite repeated calls on the emergency call number. Testimonies also suggest how police were patrolling the area but when asked for help, they refused saying they had no orders to act, the report said. Citing multiple testimonies, the committee noted that first information reports (FIRs) had either been delayed or had not been acted upon and in some cases police were complicit and abetted the attacks or police merely stood as onlookers while the mobs engaged in looting, burning and violence. Delhi Police said the department had not received a copy of the report, but had been doing a fair and professional investigation of all the 752 FIRs filed in connection with the communal violence. We started a designated helpline and put advertisements on various platforms, urging people to come forward and file their complaints. As a result 752 cases were registered, mostly on the complaints of people from the minority community. Of them 372 have been solved and more than 200 have been charge sheeted. A total of 1,470 people have been arrested so far. We are still open to receive complaints related to the riots. A special court has been created and special prosecutors have been appointed to expedite the trial of the cases. A claims commissioner has also been appointed for assessing the damage to property in the riots and making rioters compensate the damages, said Delhi Police spokesperson Anil Mittal. The report said Muslim women were attacked based on their religious identity and threats of sexual violence were also made against them. The report asked the government to form a five-member independent committee to ensure proper registration of FIRs, probe the complicity and abdication of duty by Delhi Police, make sure that compensation is properly distributed. We will study this report and if there are any corrective measures that need to be taken, we will absolutely do that, a Delhi government spokesperson said. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that the Indian government is at advanced stage of negotiations with atleast three countries- France, US and Germany - for bilateral air bubble in view of coronavirus pandemic. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that the government is at a very advanced stage of negotiations with at least three countries France, US and Germany for air bubble in view of coronavirus pandemic. Puri said at a press conference that till International Civil Aviation can reclaim pre-COVID situation in terms of numbers, he thinks that the answer lies in the bilateral air bubbles which can carry as many people as possible but under defined conditions because many countries are still imposing entry restrictions like India. He also said that the Indian govt is at a very advance stage of negotiations with at least three countries France, US and Germany for air bubble. Air France will be operating 28 flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to Paris between July 18 to August 1. The minister said that in the case of the United States, India has an agreement with United Airlines to operate 18 flights between India and US between July 17 and July 31 but this is an interim one. India has a request from Germany also and an agreement with Lufthansa is almost done. Also read: Kulbhushan Jadhav granted second consular access Also read: Disengagement at LAC an intricate process, requires constant verification: Army He said that normal civil aviation operations will depend on the behaviour of the virus. As per the governments protocol, every passenger who will travel from other countries to India needs to go to seven-day quarantine. Puri said that the government has brought back 687,467 citizens who were stranded abroad in the view of coronavirus-induced restrictions. Puri said that till July 15, 687,467 citizens have been repatriated. An operation was carried out to evacuate people from Kuwait in August 1990 and around 170,000 people were evacuated from Oman to Mumbai. Air India then entered Guinness Book of World Records. Today, India has repatriated 687,467 citizens so far and this figure increases day by day. India is adding 20,000 passengers every day. Very soon numbers will be over 10 lakh. Also read: Only God can save us: Karnataka Health minister B Sriramulu amid Covid-19 surge For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Lost amid headlines about the coronavirus pandemic and the seemingly unstoppable stock market rally, has been the monthslong escalation of tensions in the U.S.-China trade war and it's likely here to stay. Why it matters: The tariffs continue to impress a sizable tax on U.S. companies and consumers, adding additional costs and red tape for small businesses, farmers, manufacturers and households trying to stay afloat amid the pandemic. "The trade war has been quietly intensifying," Stephen Gallagher, chief economist at Societe Generale, tells Axios. Driving the news: White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said late Wednesday that administration officials are "looking at the national security risk as it relates to TikTok, WeChat and other apps" from China and could announce bans in the coming weeks. That followed remarks from President Trump on Tuesday that he had no plans for "phase two" trade deal negotiations and was "not interested right now in talking to China. What's happening: The "phase one" deal was cheered by investors as a positive first step, because it stopped a tit-for-tat tariff escalation that was poised to add a tax to nearly every product traded between the U.S. and China. However, it did nothing about tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese imports already in place that are paid by U.S. companies. Why you'll hear about this again: With the U.S. ratcheting up the pressure, there is a decreasing likelihood China lives up to its "phase one" agreement. That means a diminished outlook for industries that were counting on the $200 billion in increased purchases of U.S. agriculture, energy and manufacturing after a brutal 2019. Remember: The primary cost of tariffs isn't the tariffs themselves, but the deadweight loss of consumers buying more expensive, or less efficient, products. The trade war also is a major factor pushing businesses to pull supply chains and production out of China, increasing costs and uprooting longstanding relationships. For big companies, this will weigh on margins; for small companies, it could mean going out of business. Don't sleep: Deutsche Banks global head of tech strategy Apjit Walia warns that the demand disruption, supply chain upheaval and bifurcated tech standards from a "Tech Cold War" between the U.S. and China could cost the sector more than $3.5 trillion over the next five years. What's next: Even if Trump loses in November, investors don't expect a significant change in the U.S. approach to China given Joe Biden's recent rhetoric and bipartisan legislation condemning China for its treatment of Uighur Muslims and restrictions on public companies. YEREVAN, JULY 16, ARMENPRESS. The number of Armenian servicemen wounded in the military operations launched by Azerbaijan on the border with Armenia has not changed, Head of the Crisis Information Center Artsrun Hovhannisyan said at a briefing in Ijevan town. One of the wounded servicemen is still in critical condition, he said. 10 servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces were wounded from the Azerbaijani military operations launched in the north-eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border. 5 servicemen are in moderate condition. The remaining 4 will soon return to the military service. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States of America. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / July 16, 2020 / Sparta Group (TSXV:SAY) (the "Corporation", the "Company", "Sparta Group" or "Sparta") is pleased to announce that its TruckSuite Canada division has assembled an exclusive, symbiotic suite of COVID-19 safety tools to assist the trucking industry. This protective package comes with the added benefit of capturing much needed data to assist society-at-large with its understanding of the effects of the novel coronavirus. Sparta is a company that prides itself on its environmental stewardship related to its diverse suite of technologies to convert sources of societal waste into new forms of energy. However, the TruckSuite safety tools stand as an important application of intellectual capital in these unprecedented times. The Sparta team, which includes engineers, scientists, and trucking industry experts, will soon be able to share the details of the proposed safety package, which will cover at least two forms of COVID-19 testing for truckers, a complete pathogen protection package for the drivers and the cabs (where they spend the greatest portion of their life), as well as a comprehensive set of monitoring tools that will provide vital data (in real time) to indicate the health of the driver and the health of the vehicle at all times. Keeping drivers healthy has obvious benefits; keeping the vehicle healthy means less downtime and more uptime, which in-turn amounts to profitability. The company is presently working with a few different application software developers to finalize apps that will address all aspects of trucking health, including safety and performance status, emissions monitoring, and compliance, along with a sophisticated human health app that can warn drivers of impending health dangers and predict the likelihood of a driver getting sick. There are also other aspects to the TruckSuite safety program that focus more on diagnostic tools; the details of which, we look forward to sharing with the trucking industry and the rest of the world soon. "Trucker safety was already on the minds of Sparta management and staff before the SARS II virus struck, but the challenges posed by the pandemic are reinforcing that we are heading in the right direction. Our recently formed, TruckSuite Canada division has been in the works for quite some time with both the health and safety of trucks and truck drivers in mind, but now protecting this front-line service while capturing randomized test data is even more urgent. We believe that we have assembled a solid distribution system to service both owner/operators and fleet clients alike. We look forward to making the program available to all in the very near future so that data can be captured to gain a better understanding about the spread of this virus", said John O'Bireck, President and CTO of Sparta Group. According to the American Trucking Association there are approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the United States. However, the total number of people employed in the industry, exceeds 8.7 million. In fact, about one in every 15 workers in the country is employed in the trucking business, indicating that trucking is an exceptionally stable industry that is likely to continue generating jobs in the coming years. In 2019 alone, the U.S trucking industry generated 389 billion dollars in revenue. Without healthy truckers, hospitals wouldn't get supplies, service stations would run out of fuel, manufacturers face massive component shortages, mail doesn't get delivered, food shortages occur, and ships sit idle in ports. Most people have now imagined such a scenario due to the worldwide pandemic. Sparta's TruckSuite safety program is designed to help avoid disruptions in trucking. About Sparta Sparta Group is a company that owns or holds a controlling interest in a network of independent businesses that supply energy saving technologies designed to reduce energy inefficiencies, achieve reduced emissions, and increase operating efficiencies in various industries. Sparta's network of independent businesses provides a wide range of specialized energy capturing, converting, optimizing, and related services to the commercial sector. Sparta provides capital, technical and engineering expertise, legal support, financial and accounting knowledge, strategic planning and other shared services to its independent businesses. Sparta is a publicly traded company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. under the symbol "SAY" (TSX.V: SAY). Additional information is available at www.spartagroup.ca or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information please contact: John O'Bireck, President & CTO Email: jobireck@spartagroup.ca Telephone: (905) 751-8004 Cautionary Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Corporation believes in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information because the Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date of publication of this news release and the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Furthermore, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Corporation. These include, but are not limited to, the failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, necessary financing and risks associated with the environmental technologies industry in general. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. 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: Sparta Capital Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/597688/Sparta-Announces-Upcoming-Release-of-TruckSuiteTM-Safety-Program CHICAGO, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Eye Tracking Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Offering (Hardware, Software, Services), Tracking Type (Remote and Mobile), Application (Assistive Communication, and Human Behavior & Market Research), Vertical, and Geography- Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Eye Tracking Market is expected to grow from USD 368 million in 2020 to USD 1,098 million by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.5% from 2020 to 2025. The high demand for eye trackers in the healthcare vertical, especially for the assistive communication application is one of the key driving factors for the eye tracking market. The increasing penetration of eye tracking technology in the consumer electronics vertical, and high demand for eye trackers for personalized advertisements and consumer research purposes are a few other key factors having a positive impact on the growth of the eye tracking market. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=144268378 Mobile eye tracking segment to witness highest growth rate in the eye tracking market between 2020 and 2025 The market for mobile eye tracking is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Mobile eye tracking provides more degree of freedom for the subject, which entails a natural head and eye movement to be recorded. This approach is gaining traction in market research applications in the retail and advertisement sector. Assistive Communication application to dominate eye tracking market, in terms of size, during forecast period The eye tracking market, by application, is segmented into assistive communication, human behavior & market research, and others. The eye tracking market for the assistive communication application is expected to hold a dominant position during the forecast period. The need for effective assistive communication devices for physically impaired people and improvements in eye tracking technology drive the market for this segment. Browse in-depth TOC on "Eye Tracking Market" 251 - Tables 75 - Figures 241 - Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=144268378 North America to hold largest share of eye tracking market by 2020 North America is expected to hold the largest share of the eye tracking market by 2020. The US and Canada are the key countries contributing to the growth of the eye tracking market in North America. Europe is expected to account for the second-largest share of the eye tracking market during the forecast period. The UK and Germany are significant demand-generating countries for eye tracking technology-based products and services in this region. A few key players operating in the eye tracking market are Tobii (Sweden), EyeTracking (US), SR Research (Canada), Seeing Machines (Australia), PRS IN VIVO (France), Smart Eye (Sweden), EyeTech Digital Systems (US), Eyegaze (US), Ergoneers (Germany), ISCAN (US), iMotions (Denmark), and Lumen Research (UK). Related Reports: Gesture Recognition and Touchless Sensing Market by Technology (Touch-Based and Touchless), Product (Sanitary Equipment, Touchless Biometric), Type (Online, Offline) Industry and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/eye-tracking-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/eye-tracking.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg On July 3, P. Sarith Kumar walked into the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to collect a rather heavy carton addressed to an official working at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consular office in the city. The bespectacled 39-year-old Kumar claimed to be a Public Relations Officer with the consulate who had come to collect the carton for an attache. Two days later, he was arrested by Customs officials for attempting to smuggle gold into the country. After receiving the nod from the ministry of external affairs, officers of the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate opened the 70-kilogram carton in the presence of the acting in-charge of the UAE consulate. The sight that greeted their eyes may not have been what they expected: the carton had an assortment of pipes, taps, and door handles amidst food items and other electronics, according to news website The Lede. The pipes, however, werent hollow. At least 30 kilograms of 24-carat gold the best quality estimated to be worth at least Rs 15 crore, were hidden inside them. Since January, seven air cargo consignments, some heavier than 30 kg, had reportedly arrived in the state. Preliminary investigations by the Customs officials found that P. Sarith, who had worked for the UAE consulate but wasnt currently employed with them as he claimed, had received multiple such consignments. Officials suspect that at least 300 kg of smuggled gold flooded the yellow metal market already. Last week, Kerala chief minister Pinnarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting a probe by central agencies. Every link of this crime should be unravelled, he wrote. The case has serious implications as this undermines the economy of the Nation. In fact, it has more than one angle warranting a thorough investigation, he wrote on July 8. On July 10, the National Investigation Authority (NIA), which usually tackles terror-related cases, took up its first gold-smuggling related case. It filed a First Information Report against four: Kumar, who was already under arrest, and three others Swapna Suresh, Sandip Nair and Fazil Fareed, an alleged smuggler from Ernakulum but based in the UAE whose names were revealed during interrogation. On July 15, it added one more name to the FIR: an alleged gold smuggler named KT Ramees. The NIA charged all of them under Sections 16, 17, and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which is usually invoked to deal with terrorists and those who pose a threat to the integrity of the nation. The suspected offence: Conspiracy and commission of terrorist act by raising funds through gold smuggling to threaten the economic security and monetary stability of India. On Wednesday, the NIA moved the Interpol to extradite Fareed from the UAE, as a Kochi court issued an arrest warrant against him. A multi-agency probe monitored by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is underway which includes the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Enforcement Directorate (ED) besides the NIA and Customs (Preventive) Division. Suspects tracked down On Saturday, the NIA arrested Suresh and Nair from a hotel in Bengaluru, and brought them to Cochin on July 12. The two have been remanded to NIA custody by a special court till July 21. Suresh worked at the UAE consulate generals office before she joined as an operational manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited under the state IT Ministry in 2017. It was likely at the consular office that Suresh and Kumar came to know each other, and even after they stopped working at the consulate, they remained in touch with each other. Suresh, in her early forties, claims to hold a Bachelors in Commerce degree from Maharashtras Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University. However, the university clarified that it didnt offer such a course. The controller of examinations at the varsity, Dr. Vivek S Sathe, said her degree was fake. Her estranged brother Bright Suresh, based in the United States, told local television channels that she had not passed her matriculation. However, Suresh is known to be fluent in Arabic, English, Hindi, and Malayalam. She also played a key role in many programmes such as the Loka Kerala Sabha in 2020, a global meeting of non-resident expatriates from the state. Kerala assembly speaker S Sivaramakrishnan told media channels that he had inaugurated an automobile workshop owned Sandip Nair whom he did not know three months ago, at Sureshs request. I never knew about her past and I thought she is a high-ranking official, the speaker said. Soon after she was named in this case, Suresh went underground. Last week, she applied for bail at Kerala High Court her case was to come up on July 15. She also circulated an audio tape to a news channel in which she claimed that there was a concerted move to target the Kerala government ahead of the assembly elections next year and she had been made a scapegoat. She also claimed that she made a call to the Customs on July 3 to release the consignment because she was asked by the UAE consular office to do. She said she feared for her life. Since Suresh was arrested, the anticipatory bail hearing now stands infructuous. A political storm The seizure of gold smuggled through the cover of a diplomatic channel has set off a political storm in Kerala as opposition party members have demanded chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans resignation, claiming that he had knowledge of the wrong-doing. Soon after she was named, customs officials raided Sureshs house. During their investigation it was revealed that the chief ministers principal secretary M Sivasankar was a frequent visitor to her house. In a series of swift political moves, Sivasankar was removed from his post on July 7, the chief minister denied the involvement of his office in Sureshs appointment in the IT ministry body, Suresh was sacked from her job, and on July 8, Vijayan wrote the letter to the PM seeking a probe by central agencies. However, the Opposition wasnt willing to let go and members protested, calling for his resignation. Almost a week passed since the case came up. Not a single FIR was filed against Swapna Suresh though many cheating incidents against her surfaced including fake certificate. We suspect she is getting protection from higher-ups, said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on July 11. Though the CM welcomed the NIA probe he said that such a probe would worry many people the party is wary because it fears that his office may also come under the ambit of inquiry. Nobody can browbeat an elected government. The union government announced the probe as sought by the CM. Let them investigate but we will not allow any victimization in this regard, said Anathalavattom Anandan, senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Customs department questioned M Sivasankar at their office in Thiruvananthpuram for nine hours, till the wee hours of July 15. A day later he was suspended. It is a big setback to the CM who is trying for a second term riding on the so-called Covid success story, said political observer Sunnykutty Abraham. Meanwhile, the MEA has also had to ensure that diplomatic relations between the two countries are not affected because of this case. The Gulf is home to millions of Indian expatriates with a range of work profiles; at least 1.8 million belong to Kerala. The UAE has ordered a probe into this matter and said that it will assist the ongoing probe by Indian agencies, in a brief statement. Last week, the MEA minister of state V Muraleedharan also clarified that the baggage was not in the diplomatic baggage category and the Customs department had only sought the ministrys nod to open the package due to the rules stipulated under the Vienna Convention, a framework on diplomatic relations between countries. Meanwhile, the MEA has also made a request to the UAE embassy in Delhi to meet a few employees at the consular office in Thiruvananthapuram for more details. The acting in-charge of the UAE consulate, who present during the opening of the consignment on July 5, left the country this week. Yellow metal market It started with innocuous looking packets of cookies, noodles and dates sent from the United Arab Emirates to its consular office in Thiruvananthapuram, which raised the suspicions of customs deputy commissioner Rama Murthy. Since January, seven such consignments flew in including door knobs, water taps and even shower caps. The trouble was that the packages which came as air cargo addressed to the consulate, enjoyed diplomatic immunity. In Kerala, the trade of illegal gold is a thriving business as it is cheaper in the Gulf. Whats more with an import duty of 12 % and an additional GST of 3 %, smuggled gold often costs Rs 8-10 lakh per kilogram lesser than legally imported gold. The state tops in the country in terms of gold seizure. During the last financial year, 550 kg gold was seized from four airports of the state. At least half of this quantity is from Kozhikode international airport, Sumit Kumar, Customs commissioner in-charge of Kerala and Lakshadweep region, said. Dates, bra straps, belt buckles, shoe soles, and sausages are few the ingenious methods used to smuggle gold into the country. It is a fact, that a good quantity of smuggled gold is present in the market. We have to change our flawed import policy to check this. Tax evasion is also high in the industry, which gives employment to 60 lakh people directly and indirectly, says Malabar Group Chairman M P Ahmed, who runs one of the largest jewellery store chains in the country. According to DRI officials, who spoke anonymously to HT, the union government was waiting for an opportunity to intervene, as they suspected that much of the smuggled gold also funded terror activities and hawala operations. Custom and DRI have limitations in a foreign land. NIA can intervene here effectively and dig into the plush network. Invoking terror sections will really help to unearth the well-entrenched syndicate, said the senior DRI official in Kochi. But this case has also given other agencies a filip to get tough on smuggling. Customs commissioner in-charge of Kerala and Lakshadweep Sumit Kumar, on Wednesday, issued an ultimatum to smugglers to surrender. At least six persons in connection with gold smuggling have been arrested. We have a list of regular offenders and we are out to break their syndicate. The multi-agency probe is going as planned, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 1 Market Buzz Google too gets on the Jio bandwagon Google will buy a 7.7% stake for $4.5 billion in Jio Platforms, becoming the latest A-list investor in the digital arm of RIL. The announcement came during the 43rd annual general meeting of Reliance Industries which saw Indias most-valued private company unveil its digital ambitions that range from launching 5G services using home-grown tech to designing low-cost 4G or 5G smartphones in partnership with Google. Chairman Mukesh Ambani also announced the launch of Jio Glass, a new mixed reality headset. The oil-to-retail behemoth is looking to expand JioMart to include electronics, fashion, pharmaceuticals and healthcare. To read more about the key announcements, click here. 2 Big Story US rolls back visas curbs for foreign students In a relief for Indian and other foreign students, the Trump administration has abandoned a plan that would have forced out tens of thousands of students. US officials had said international students at schools that had moved to online-only classes due to the coronavirus pandemic would have to leave the country if they were unable to transfer to a college with at least some in-person instruction. The government said it would drop the plan amid a legal challenge brought by universities. But a senior US Department of Homeland Security official said the administration still intended to issue a regulation in the coming weeks on whether foreign students can remain in the country if their classes move online. Read here. 3 Your Money A portfolio must-have Midcap funds have outperformed their largecap counterparts over the last one year. The category cannot be ignored for sure, as an essential ingredient for your portfolio. Value Research data indicates that midcap funds lost 2.95 percent as a category over the last one year, whereas their largecap cousins declined 5.78 percent. Even when the markets bounced back after the rout in March, midcap funds delivered 21.09 percent gains, versus 19.9 percent that largecap schemes managed. Many schemes in the category increased exposure to segments such as pharma that rallied substantially over the past few months. Their relative resilience is one of the reasons to consider midcap funds to your portfolio. Read here. 4 Global Watch Oxfords COVID-19 vaccine on track Positive news on initial trials of the University of Oxford's potential COVID-19 vaccine that has been licensed to AstraZeneca could be announced as soon as on July 16, ITV's political editor Robert Peston said, citing a source. The potential vaccine is already in large-scale Phase III human trials to assess whether it can protect against COVID-19, but its developers have yet to report Phase I results which would show whether it is safe and whether or not it induces an immune response. The developers of the vaccine have said they are encouraged by the immune response they have seen in trials so far. Read here. 5 Tech Tattle Over 2,500 games removed from Apple's China app store More than 2,500 mobile games were removed from Apple's China app store in the first week of July, four times as many in the same period in June, after Apple closed a loophole to comply with Chinese licence requirements, data from SensorTower showed. Apple had given publishers of revenue-generating games a deadline of end-June to submit a government-issued licence number that allows them to make in-app purchases, a requirement that Android-based app stores in China have long had. It was not clear why Apple had allowed the loophole to exist. Notable games removed include Supercell's farming hit "Hay Day", "Nonstop Chuck Norris" from Flaregames and "Solitaire" from Zynga. Read here. 6 Startup Tales What makes Chingari burn bright Chingari is literally on fire. From a few million downloads in 2018 to more than 20 million in a few weeks, the social media app has caught the imagination of the country and the world. When Sumit Ghosh and Biswatma Nayak sat down to create a social media app two years back, they were just looking to capitalise on the popularity of Musical.ly. Little did they know that one day the then Musical.ly, now TikTok, will be banned and they will be in the hot seat. But replicating a TikTok is easier said than done. It needs capital, big teams, content moderation and so on. So what does it take to create a domestic social media platform? Read here. 7 Tailpiece FIFA releases 2022 World Cup schedule World Cup fans will be able to watch an unprecedented four games a day on television, spread out over 11 hours, during the group stage of the Qatar 2022 tournament after the schedule was confirmed on July 15. With the relatively short travel distances for the venues in and around Doha, it could be possible for fans who travel to the 32-team tournament to attend multiple games each day. The opening game on November 21 will be at the 60,000 capacity Al Bayt Stadium, with its distinctive 'tent' style covering. The final on December 18 will be held at the 80,000 Lusail Stadium. Read here. Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. Technavio has been monitoring the CMOS image sensors market and it is poised to grow by USD 10.15 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 11% 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/20200716005570/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global CMOS Image Sensors Market 2020-2024 (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 concentrated, and the degree of concentration will accelerate during the forecast period. ams AG, Canon Inc., GalaxyCore Inc., Himax Technologies Inc., OmniVision Technologies Inc., ON Semiconductor Corp., Panasonic Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sony Corp., and STMicroelectronics NV 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. Rise in automation across industries has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the high cost associated with 3D packaging might hamper market growth. CMOS Image Sensors Market 2020-2024: Segmentation CMOS Image Sensors Market is segmented as below: Application Consumer Electronics Automotive Security And Surveillance Industrial 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=IRTNTR40729 CMOS Image Sensors Market 2020-2024: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our CMOS image sensors market report covers the following areas: CMOS Image Sensors Market size CMOS Image Sensors Market trends CMOS Image Sensors Market industry analysis This study identifies technological advances as one of the prime reasons driving the CMOS image sensors market growth during the next few years. CMOS Image Sensors Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the CMOS image sensors market, including some of the vendors such as ams AG, Canon Inc., GalaxyCore Inc., Himax Technologies Inc., OmniVision Technologies Inc., ON Semiconductor Corp., Panasonic Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sony Corp., and STMicroelectronics NV. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the CMOS image sensors 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 CMOS Image Sensors Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist CMOS image sensors market growth during the next five years Estimation of the CMOS image sensors market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the CMOS image sensors market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of CMOS image sensors 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 Value chain analysis Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2019 Market outlook Market size and forecast 2019-2024 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 Consumer electronics Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Automotive Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Security and surveillance Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Industrial Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 11: MARKET TRENDS Technological advances in CMOS image sensors Growing number of strategic partnerships Growing investment in autonomous cars PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors ams AG Canon Inc. GalaxyCore Inc. Himax Technologies Inc. OmniVision Technologies Inc. ON Semiconductor Corp. Panasonic Corp. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Sony Corp. STMicroelectronics NV 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/20200716005570/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ The Chinese and U.S. national flags are seen during a promotional event in Beijing, China, on Jun. 30, 2017. (Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images) Second Group of US Diplomats Fly Back to China Amid Frayed Ties More than 100 U.S. diplomats and family members flew to China on Wednesday, according to internal State Department emails, as Washington pressed ahead with its plan to restaff its diplomatic mission amid heightened bilateral tensions. A chartered commercial aircraft left Dulles airport outside Washington for the South Korean capital, Seoul, where passengers would transfer to another aircraft outfitted for medical operations before flying to the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The flight, only the second of many required to return more than 1,200 U.S. diplomats with their families, was the first since negotiations hit an impasse two weeks ago over conditions China wanted to impose on the Americans, prompting the State Department to postpone flights tentatively scheduled for the first 10 days of July. The U.S. is working to fully restaff its mission in China, one of its largest in the world, which was evacuated in February because of COVID-19. A Department email dated Wednesday and viewed by Reuters said more flights were being arranged. For those still waiting to return, we are in the process of getting approvals from the Department for subsequent flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Tianjin/Beijing in the coming weeks. Due to PRC regulations, these flights will be limited to a maximum of 120 passengers, it said. Bilateral relations have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades over issues including Chinas handling of the coronavirus pandemic, bilateral trade, and a new security law for Hong Kong. Washington and Beijing have been negotiating for weeks over the terms of how to bring U.S. diplomats back and the top issues of disagreement have been testing and quarantine procedures as well the frequency of flights and how many one journey can bring back. The U.S. state department told Reuters it continues to work towards the safe and secure return of all our diplomatic personnel to China in a manner consistent with the standards for diplomatic inviolability enshrined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The State Department internally told its staff it received assurances from Beijing that parents would not be separated from their children if they tested positive. But disagreements over other issues, such as testing being conducted in Chinese labs, have persisted. Diplomats say agreeing to be tested contravenes the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The internal email said that on arrival in China, adults and children of all ages should be prepared to be tested for COVID-19. By Humeyra Pamuk Kroger and Walmart joined other major retailers Wednesday when they announced that they will require shoppers to wear face masks. The new restriction goes into effect at Walmart on Monday and at Kroger on Wednesday. We are taking this extra step now because we recognize additional precautions are needed to protect our country,Kroger said in a statement. We are committed to doing our part to help reduce the spread of the virus. Some shoppers say they cant wear a mask for medical reasons. Kroger suggests those shoppers use a face shield or shop online. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kroger has waived its $4.95 fee for grocery pickups. Deadline for Illinois first marijuana social equity grants is July 20 The application deadline is approaching for one of the key programs driving the states equity-centric approach to marijuana legalization, and the state is looking to hire hundreds from disadvantaged communities to review those applications. Among national chains, Costco and Apple were the first to require face coverings. Best Buy and Starbucks started requiring customers to wear masks this week, and more stores are expected to mandate the practice, which has the support of health experts but has become political for some people. Major industry groups are encouraging chains to expand masks beyond what local and state officials have recommended. The National Retail Federation on Wednesday called Walmarts decision a tipping point in this public health debate and encouraged other companies to adopt a nationwide policy that requires customers to wear masks. Walmart, the biggest U.S. retailer, said that about 65% of its more than 5,000 stores and Sams Clubs are in areas where some form of government mandate on face coverings is already in place. To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering, Walmart said in a statement. Walmart is also training employees to be health ambassadors who will stand at the front door to remind people without masks of the new requirement. Gov. J.B. Pritzker outlines targeted approach to COVID-19 spikes in Illinois, lays out criteria for state to take action Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Kabul calls on Islamabad to refrain from unacceptable rocket attacks as four killed in Afghanistans Kunar province. Afghanistan has condemned an alleged rocket firing by the Pakistani army on its soil resulting in civilian casualties and damage to their houses. In a statement released late on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said the rockets were fired on eastern Kunar province, along a disputed border that Pakistan is fencing since mid-2017. A police spokesman in the province said at least four civilians were killed and nine others, including women and children, were wounded in the rocket firings on Wednesday. Two houses were also damaged. Kabul called on Islamabad to refrain from unacceptable artillery attacks and arbitrary installations, as it can cause further escalations between the two countries. A lawmaker from Kunar, Wazhma Safi, said if Pakistan continued to fire over the border, the issue would be discussed at the diplomatic level. She said she believes Taliban rebels, backed by Pakistan, were behind the attack on Afghan soil. Afghan forces stationed there responded to the attacks, Abdul Ghani Musamem, a spokesman for the governor of Kunar province. In Pakistan, police accused Afghan forces of initiating an exchange of fire a day earlier. Mamoond district police chief Shahzada Kaukab said a rocket fired from Afghan forces struck a home in the district on Tuesday, wounding a woman and damaging her home. Mamoond district was once a haven for local rebel and Taliban fighters. Pakistan says the army has cleared the area in recent years, although violence persists. Rebels who were not killed have mostly fled across the rugged mountains into neighbouring Afghanistan. The development comes as a fresh round of peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are expected this month in the Qatari capital Doha. The so-called intra-Afghan talks were delayed due to postponement of a prisoner exchange between the sides agreed as part of a deal between the United States and the Taliban. Under the February 29 signing of the US-Taliban peace agreement, the Afghan government is to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban are to release 1,000 Afghan national defence and security personnel. So far, the government has freed 4,015 men and the Taliban has freed 669, according to the Afghan government. The Pakistani and Afghan governments often accuse each other of initiating fire in the border region, where rebel groups are often interlinked on both sides of the border. 200629154848801 Pakistan and Afghanistan are divided by the Durand Line, a 2,400km (1,500-mile) frontier with villages straddling the border and mosques and houses having one door in Pakistan and another in Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan are in dispute over whether the border is officially recognised. In addition, Kabul accuses Islamabad of supporting the Taliban forces fighting against the US-backed Afghan government, a claim Pakistan denies. In 2017, Pakistan said it had started building a fence along the border as part of efforts aimed at curbing fighting. But the move sparked condemnation in Kabul. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a phone conversation with Afghans foreign minister offered to host intra-Afghan peace talks if both sides agree, said ministry spokesman Gran Hewad. Rocket attack on Ghazni during Ghanis visit Meanwhile, several rockets landed near a ceremony in the Afghan city of Ghazni on Thursday, where President Ashraf Ghani was delivering a speech, local media outlet Tolo News reported. At least three people were wounded after two rockets landed in #Ghazni on Thursday morning just as President Ghani visited the city, source said. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/dXRKGtjR84 TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) July 16, 2020 Two rockets landed as close as 200 metres from the area where the ceremony was going on, wounding at least three people, with one in critical condition, provincial councillor Khaliqdad Akbari said. Helicopters were seen hovering over the city following the attack. All roads leading to the city were closed to traffic a day earlier. Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a Swiss-based joint venture company that works with electricity grids, has significant confidence in Egypts domestic market, aiming to make Egypt a regional hub for energy In interview with Ahram Online, country managing director for Egypt and North Africa at Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Mohamed Hosseiny, reveals the companys future plans and investments in Egypt and worldwide. On Tuesday, Hitachi announced the acquisition of 80.1% of ABB for extended operations in Egypt and the region. Ahram Online: How do you see business and the investment climate in Egypt? Mohamed Hosseiny: Some people may be surprised that were launching a multi-billion dollar company in these extraordinary times. Actually, were convinced that now is the right time for our unique joint venture to start in the Egyptian market. Now more than ever, the world needs innovative energy solutions to address the huge challenges facing society. Only by balancing social, environmental and economic value in harmony can durable progress be made the basis for our generation and those that follow. And this is why we believe that now is the right time for us, for Hitachi ABB Power Grids. How do you see the incentives and procedures that the government introduced? We see a perfect storm; the chance for government, consumers and industry to seize this moment to drive for a greener economic recovery by investing in a sustainable energy future, underpinned by modern infrastructure and power systems. How do you assess the private sectors role in the Egyptian economy? Since 1928, Hitachi has been well-established in Egypt. We have been the partner of choice for our customers and governments in their projects. We are aiming to support the government to transform Egypt into an energy hub for the Africa region. What are the total investments of Hitachi ABB Power Grids in Egypt? Globally, we are a $10 billion business (by business volume). Hitachi ABB Power Grids has two state-of-the-art production facilities in Egypt, located in the 10th of Ramadan Industrial Zone. The first has been renowned for manufacturing transformers and has been hugely successful in exporting to more than 30 countries across the MENA region, while the second is a high voltage products factory. Why is Hitachi ABB Power Grids particularly focused on the Egyptian market? Egypt acts as a hub for North and West Africa, covering more than 27 countries with branches and representative offices in Morocco and Cote dIvoire respectively. How will the new acquisition (80.1 percent of ABB) benefit the company and Egypts efforts in electricity and energy sector development? The joint venture is aimed at merging Hitachis leading open digital technologies with ABBs world-class power grid solutions, in order to play an active role in the global transformation and decarbonisation of energy. In Egypt, we are focusing on serving four key sectors. The first is the transport sector, serving power-fueled vehicles. The second is the industrial sector. The third is infrastructure and facilities, and the fourth reinforcing the implementation of smart cities. The new giant aims to thrive with green renewable resources. Search Keywords: Short link: In an upcoming documentary on the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates said that the country will be able to produce the vaccine not only for itself but also for the entire world. He also spoke hopefully about the great capacity of the Indian pharma sector. Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that the government is in negotiations with France, the United States and Germany to create an international air travel bubble. A consortium of 15 international organizations focused on climate change have come together to try to hold G20 governments accountable for economic policy decisions made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; among them is the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 15/7/2020 (552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A consortium of 15 international organizations focused on climate change have come together to try to hold G20 governments accountable for economic policy decisions made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; among them is the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development. On Wednesday, the consortium launched the website EnergyPolicyTracker.org which will track and post all government spending related to energy or climate policy from all G20 countries, retroactive to the beginning of the pandemic response. The funding announcements are categorized by their relationship to a fossil-fuel-based economy or a green economy that will help governments achieve emissions reductions. "We have, right now, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape our future with investments that are now squeezed immensely into this very short period of time because of the (pandemic) crisis," said Ivetta Gerasimchuk, an IISD renewable energy expert based in Geneva, and the project lead on the energy policy tracker. "Governments may not have the same amount of funding in future years. So, the future is made now. Unfortunately, (the numbers) are showing that money is not going in the right direction." To start, the website has tracked 200 policies from G20 countries. Their categorization shows that approximately US$151 billion has been committed to support carbon-intensive industries from fossil fuel production and extraction, to airline industries. That figure is subcategorized into funding that was conditional on climate goals being set or met, but only 20 per cent of the $151 billion fell into that category. Meanwhile, the countries promised US$89 billion in clean energy projects. "This isnt surprising to us at all. This is why the consortium started this project, because already four or five months ago we had a fear that it may end up this way," Gerasimchuk said. She explained that a large chunk of the fossil fuel industry money was going to airlines around the world, which have been devastated by the pandemic. Gerasimchuk said it was unsurprising that governments would step in to rescue the airline industry, but she is encouraged that some governments are embracing the "new normal" of demanding these companies create or adhere to some kind of emission reduction targets. "At least there were attempts from France, from Austria to impose conditionality on airline bailouts," Gerasimchuk said. Canada has barely registered any green spending at this point but did receive commendation from the group for how it supported the fossil fuel industry through orphan well cleanup. Such a policy allows former oil and gas workers to have a place to go, explains Vanessa Corkal, an energy analyst with IISD who worked to compile the Canadian data for the project. "Were fully supportive and very much want the government of Canada to take steps to promote a just transition for fossil fuel workers and those communities (affected)," Corkal said. What accounts for most of the fossil-fuel-related stimulus spending in Canada is the Alberta governments support of the Keystone XL pipeline to the tune of $1.5 billion in equity investment, paired with a $6-billion loan guarantee. Overall, Corkal found spending in Canada has proven far less green than compared with other countries with $11.9 billion committed to fossil fuel industries, and only $223 million committed to green projects. Whereas in the United States, green stimulus has been pushed by sub-national state governments, in Canada provincial governments have not taken up the challenge. "So, a huge portion of the fossil (fuel spending) that we quantified was from Alberta," Corkal said. 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. "In Ontario, weve seen $2.6 billion just announced for highways and bridges. Infrastructure is all fine and good, but infrastructure supporting fossil-fuel-powered mobility thats not necessarily getting us on the path to transit or clean transportation." Meanwhile, little industry-specific stimulus spending has been attempted in Manitoba, and as a result has not contributed to the figures tracked by the project. "The key is that now that its clear that were past this emergency relief stage, now is really the moment for the government federal and provincial governments to think about how future spending will be tied to climate change objectives." On Wednesdays, analysts will update the website to reflect new announcements and stimulus spending. sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @SarahLawrynuik We Must Ensure Young Adults Can Access Public Support During COVID-19 While President Franklin Roosevelt and a Democratic-led Congress were crafting the New Deal in the 1930s, and defending its Depression-era social programs against Republican opposition, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt amplified the voices of Americas youth when she expressed that she was terrified of losing an entire generation. Americas youngest workers, predominately in low-wage, low-skilled jobs, were most severely impacted then and during every major economic downturn since. The New Deal operationalized the most comprehensive relief, reform and recovery effort in U.S. history. It was inclusive of youth, providing young men and women with access to employment opportunities and financial assistance, though not equitably. Because of segregation, African Americans received less financial support than their White counterparts, even when they applied for it. Today, the coronavirus pandemic has pulled back the covers on the deep inequalities that have plagued Black and Brown people and, broadly, communities of color since this nation existed. A recent national survey of young adults of color by nonprofit talent development accelerator LeadersUp shows that a majority (60 percent) of Generation Z and young Millennial workers (ages 16-30) are not receiving any type of public assistance at this unprecedented time. Most are part-time workers or in the gig economy, so they do not have health insurance. They are the first to go and the last to return to the workforce, yet ineligible for traditional unemployment benefits. More than half (52 percent) of respondents said they are in living arrangements that financially support their families, children or friends. This labor market disruption could mean significant loss of household income. Whats more, youth disconnection leads to adult disconnection. Young adults failure to launch their careers in their early 20s, while incurring debt and unable to gain the skills or experience necessary to fill the jobs of the future, is both detrimental on the micro-level (individual) and macro-level (economic growth). The next generation of talent could be called Generation Stress. These young adults have lived through 9/11, the recession of 2008 and, now, a global pandemic has canceled school and graduations, and placed their dreams of financial independence on indefinite hold. In L.A., unhoused college students and those living in food deserts are at risk of hunger daily. They also are at risk of COVID-19, part of a grim statistic of adults between ages 18 and 49 dying at disproportionately higher rates. However, the youth of this generation are not unlike their predecessors who lived through wars, infectious diseases and shortages of essential goods and services. They need support during the crisis and they will after, as well. Those in leadership must amplify their voices to ensure those most deeply impacted by COVID-19 are not left out of the recovery. We must catalyze economic mobility for our youth to ensure their futures, which is what the New Deal intended but failed to do for African Americans. At this moment, many of our young people have basic needs for food and shelter, and to sustain their health and well-being. Its important that they know what they are entitled to through the California Employment Development Department. Under the federal CARES Act, part-time and gig economy workers not eligible for traditional unemployment insurance can apply for pandemic unemployment assistance. It also covers business owners, the self-employed and independent contractors for up to 39 weeks through December 26, 2020, and up to a 13-week extension for those who run out of regular unemployment benefits. Fewer than half of low-wage workers (those making less than $14 an hour) have access to paid sick leave. Anyone unable to work because they have or have been exposed to COVID-19 can file a disability insurance claim with the state. Caring for a family member who is ill or quarantined? You may be eligible for Paid Family Leave of up to six weeks of payments equal to approximately 60 to 70 percent of your wages. Short-term relief will help young adults support themselves and their families; mitigate economic outcomes that are largely tied to social issues; gain confidence in the marketplace; and jumpstart spending. ADVERTISEMENT If young people from disadvantaged communities are not applying for these benefits, we can only assume they are unaware of them or lack Wi-Fi access at home. Lets be diligent about getting the word out to ensure that the economic circumstances of young people who either were struggling or starting to make gains before COVID-19 arent deepened during this crisis. Jeffery Wallace is president and CEO of LeadersUp, which connects employers with the untapped potential of the next generation of diverse talent. A former managing director of the interim management committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joi Nunieh, has vowed to make more revelations about the corruption in the agency. She said this minutes after she was rescued by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, from her own house which was earlier today besieged by armed police officers. The armed police officers were reported to have surrounded Ms Nuniehs private residence since 4 a.m. Thursday. But a video on social media showed the state governor leading a procession to Ms Nuniehs house, and leading her to the government house, Port Harcourt. Now at the government house, Ms Nunieh alleged that the siege on her house was on the orders of Niger Delta minister, Godswill Akpabio. Ms Nunieh was due to appear before a panel of the House of Representatives over the corruption allegations rocking the agency she once headed, but the siege barred her. The eventual session that was held ended in an impasse as the new NDDC management walked out on the House panel, accusing its leadership of corruption. I think he (Akpabio) wanted to stop me from giving my submission today (at the House of Representatives Committee hearing on NDDC), Ms Nunieh told reporters. He succeeded. But I am sure the House of Representatives would give me another day, and Nigerians will hear more. Akpabio cant kill me. Definitely, he cant. I am not from Uyo now, she added. But why do people think he has the monopoly of violence? The man who (sexually) harassed me is at home. The man who stole money is at home. The man who stole government files is at home. The man who took money is at home. The man who wanted me to take (a fetish) oath is at home. It is a criminal offence, its life imprisonment, to take such an oath. To even offer me an oath is liable, the former NDDC MD said. When reached, Mr Akpabios aide, Anietie Ekong, said Dont you think the police would be in a better position to explain why they wanted her? The state police spokesperson, Omoni Nnamdi, claimed ignorance of the siege. Both Ms Nunieh and Mr Akpabio have been dishing out corruption allegations and counter-allegation recently against each other. On one hand, Ms Nunieh has accused Mr Akpabio of corruption, sexually harassment, offering her bribe and attempting to make her take an oath of secrecy in Abuja. READ ALSO: Mr Akpabio on his part denounced the claim, saying Ms Nunieh is temperamental and corrupt. At the centre of the controversies is the Niger Delta Development Commission, whose mandate to develop the oil-rich region has been sluggish for two decades of existence, largely due to corruption among officials in the agency. Ms Nunieh acted as the commissions head after the removal of Akwagaga Enyia in October 2019, but she was sacked four months later as the crisis rocking the commission over abuse of funds kept mounting. PREMIUM TIMES exclusively learnt that Mr Akpabio played a major role in the removal of Ms Nunieh. Labour will make a formal apology to seven of its former staffers who called out antisemitism within the party in a BBC Panorama investigation last year. The whistleblowers took legal action against the Labour party soon after the documentary aired last July, claiming senior figures in the party had made defamatory statements about their characters and motives. Now the party will apologise as part of a settlement, despite Jeremy Corbyn faithfuls accusing Keir Starmer of yielding to the former staffs' demands, reports The Guardian. The programme, Is Labour Anti-Semitic?, made allegations surrounding Labour's handling of antisemitic abuse within the party. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer faced his first challenge as antisemitism row raged on. He's pictured above jogging through the streets of north London, April 18 Panorama also claimed that Miss Formby attempted to interfere in the workings of the National Constitution Committee, (NCC) which decides if members are expelled following behaviour such as antisemitism. Leaked email chains appeared to show that she tried to influence the selection of the panel for the case of Jackie Walker, a former vice-chairman of pro-Corbyn group Momentum, over claims of anti-Semitic comments. On May 5 last year, Miss Formby wrote: 'The NCC cannot be allowed to continue in the way they are and I will also be challenging the panel for the Jackie Walker case.' Copied in were Mr Corbyn on his personal email address, director of communications Seamus Milne and Mr Corbyn's chief of staff Karie Murphy. Iain McNicol, Miss Formby's predecessor as general secretary, told Panorama: 'The emails you've shown me are really important... the issues that are raised should ring alarm bells across the party.' A Labour spokesman said: 'The party is implacably opposed to anti-Semitism.' He added: 'The leader's office did not intervene. These former disaffected employees sought the view of staff in the leader's office, which was complied with in good faith. 'The emails... are simply about ensuring the NCC is held accountable.' Now the party looks set to settle the case, despite Jeremy Corbyn (right) faithfuls accusing Keir Starmer (left) of yielding to the former staff's demand Former Labour staff who have taken legal action against the party now include former head of disputes Sam Matthews, former head of compliance Mike Creighton; former disputes team investigator Dan Hogan, and former disputes officer Louise Withers Green. An eighth staff member, former general secretary Iain McNicol, appeared on the programme but is not taking action. A statement made by the Labour party, soon after the broadcast of the former staff's allegations, accused them of having 'political axes to grind' with the party's leader and of being 'disaffected former officials'. Up until now Labour has continued to contest the Panorama findings, with Mr Corbyn claiming it contained 'many, many inaccuracies'. In a speech to the Durham Miners' Gala days after the show was aired Corbyn said: 'The programme adopted a pre-determined position on its own website before it was broadcast.' After a case was issued by the whistleblowers' media lawyer Mark Lewis Labour continued to vehemently contest the allegations. A spokesman for Labour said at the time: 'These are justified statements of opinion. Any claims will be vigorously defended.' It is believed legal advice offered to the party while Corbyn was leader stated that the party could win the case. The Guardian spoke to one former member of its ruling national executive committee who said: 'It was clear advice: we were told that the Labour party would win the Panorama case. Then Keir came in and he seems to have decided to settle. 'If the legal advice has changed, it should be shared with the NEC, and they should be allowed to ask whether it is a good use of a significant sum of money.' The BBC stood by its decision to air the programme while Ofcom rejected 28 complaints claiming the programme was bias, Ofcom stated the programme had been 'duly impartial'. The move to settle the case against the whistleblowers comes as another separate case brought by Panorama's presenter John Ware is reportedly likely to be settled - he claims the party defamed him following the show. The US has 4.3 per cent of the world's population and 25.8 per cent of the world's cases. UK's outcome has not been good: chief scientist Britain has not achieved a good outcome in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the government's chief scientific adviser said on Thursday, adding that he was sure mistakes had been made in the response to the crisis. Britain has the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe, which, including deaths from suspected cases, is nearly 56,000 according to a Reuters tally of official data sources. Patrick Vallance, the British government's chief scientific adviser. Credit:AP Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a lockdown on March 23, though a former member of the government's scientific advisory group has said that introducing measures a week earlier could have halved the death toll. "It's very difficult to know exactly where we stand at the moment. It's clear that the outcome has not been good in the UK, I think we can be absolutely clear about that," Patrick Vallance said, adding that some countries had done worse. "There will be things, decisions made, that will turn out not to have been the right decisions at the time, I'm sure about that as well." Brazil nears 2 million coronavirus cases, with 75,000 dead A thousand deaths a day. Since late May, three months after Brazil's first reported case of the coronavirus, it has recorded more than 1000 daily deaths on average in a gruesome plateau that has yet to tilt downward. The country hit at least 75,000 confirmed deaths on Wednesday and is expected to report 2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 by Thursday evening. Even as cases wane somewhat in the biggest and hardest-hit Brazilian cities, the virus is peaking in new locations across the largest country in Latin America. Loading Experts blame denial of the virus' deadly potential by President Jair Bolsonaro and lack of national co-ordination combined with scattershot responses by city and state governments, with some reopening earlier than health experts recommended. An interim health minister untrained in the field is presiding over the pandemic response. Bolsonaro himself is sick with COVID-19 after repeatedly flouting social distancing recommendations and undermining local leaders' restrictions on activity. Brazil's roughly 7000 COVID-19 deaths in each of the last seven weeks is equal to several airplanes packed with Brazilians crashing every day, former health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said. "People have become callous," Mandetta said. "When you say, 'Yesterday there were 1300 deaths', people say, 'OK, then it didn't go up. It was 1300 people the day before, too'." Loading Brazil's nearly 2 million cases is second only to the US and experts believe the number to be an under count due to widespread lack of testing. A model created by professors from several Brazilian academic institutions, based on the number of confirmed deaths, estimates Brazil has had 10 million infections. Virus was direct cause of death for 89 per cent of Italian victims The new coronavirus directly caused the death of 9 out of 10 of Italian COVID-19 victims, a study released on Thursday said, shedding new light on the epidemic which mainly struck the country's northern regions. Since discovering its first infections in February, Italy has reported some 35,000 COVID-19 fatalities. However, health authorities said many of those who died were also affected by other ailments and this provoked a fierce debate on whether the virus was the actual cause of death. The study published by the Superior Health Institute and National Statistics Institute ISTAT showed the coronavirus was the direct cause of death for 89 per cent of the 4942 victims in the sample. The remaining 11 per cent had coronavirus but died as a direct result of other medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer and dementia. However, the virus might have aggravated their condition and accelerated their death. The study was based on deaths reported at the end of May, when Italy had already loosened its rigid lockdown rules. Loading Pneumonia was observed in 79 per cent of the people whose deaths were directly tied to coronavirus and was the most common complication for COVID-19 patients, followed by other respiratory diseases. The report showed COVID-19 was also fatal for some people who did not have any underlying health problem. PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Automakers Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and Peugeot S.A. or Groupe PSA, who have agreed on a 50/50 merger of their businesses, plan to call their combined new entity STELLANTIS. The next step in the process will be the unveiling of a logo, which, along with the name, will become the corporate brand identity. The names and the logos of the combined company's constituent brands will remain unchanged. The companies will use the new name exclusively at the Group level, as a Corporate brand. In a statement, the companies said the new name has its roots in the Latin verb 'stello' meaning 'to brighten with stars.' With the name's Latin origins, the Italian and French companies hope to pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies. They said, 'It draws inspiration from this new and ambitious alignment of storied automotive brands and strong company cultures that in coming together are creating one of the new leaders in the next era of mobility while at the same time preserving all the exceptional value and the values of its constituent parts.' Following media speculation, the companies had confirmed their ongoing merger talks in October last year, and the $50 billion combination agreement was announced in the following December. The merger is expected to create the world's fourth-largest carmaker by volume. The deal, as announced earlier, is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2021. This includes the approval by both companies' shareholders at their respective Extraordinary General Meetings. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de The redevelopment of the Central Vista area in the National Capital will not harm any heritage buildings in the area and historical landmarks like the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the North and South Blocks, the Parliament house and the National Archives will be conserved, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has told the Supreme Court, which is expected to hear the matter on Friday. The Central Vista is being redeveloped after taking into account the present needs of the city and will be carried out with extreme sensitivity to preserve the areas heritage, a counter-affidavit filed before the top court on July 4 stated. HT has reviewed a copy of the affidavit. The Supreme Court is hearing two petitions which challenged the redevelopment project that aims to create a new Parliament house and 10 administrative buildings for all the government ministries, convert the North and South blocks into museums, and develop the Central Vista avenue that connects Rajpath to India Gate. While making the recommendations, DDA has ensured that no heritage building is /will be harmed during the process of redevelopment, the affidavit said. Many of the buildings on the Central Vista, including the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Parliament and the North and South Blocks, as well as India Gate, were designed by British architects Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker in the 1920s and 30s and are Grade 1 heritage buildings. DDA also stressed that there will be no loss of green area due to the project, saying open spaces in the Central Vista will be kept intact by adequately compensating the loss of 9.5 acre of green cover in the district park by adding 5.64 acre of green area along Rajpath and another 3.9 acre in the C-Zone. The district park is the plot on which the new Parliament building is expected to come up, and currently houses a reception area, parking and other service infrastructure for the Parliament house. It is marked as a district park in the Parliament house complex. The entire Central Vista precinct falls within Zone D. The C Zone refers to the Civil Lines zone, which includes features like the Roshanara Bagh from Mughal times, and the old Secretariat Complex from the colonial period. The present District Park area of 9.5 acre has been compensated by providing 5.64 acre in D Zone (Central Vista) and 3.9 acre in C Zone, thereby keeping the green spaces intact. It is pertinent to mention that as per modified plan, the green area along the Rajpath will increase by 5.64 acre, the affidavit said. The redevelopment project proposes to do away with the encroachments along the avenue and increase the green cover on either side of the path. Advocate Rajeev Suri and Lt Colonel Anuj Srivastava filed petitions in the Delhi high court in February, following which the court ordered that the DDA should approach it before notifying the proposed changes in the land use. A division bench of chief justice DN Patel and justice C Hari Shankar, however, stayed this order prompting Suri to move the Supreme Court. The top court had on March 3 transferred the entire case to itself from the Delhi high court on the ground that the issue involves larger public interest. The case will be heard by a three-judge bench headed by justice AM Khanwilkar on Friday. Suris petition stated that the DDA did not have the power to notify changes to land use and standards of population density. The change in land use is in the direction of aligning the existing land use with the proposed Central Vista Development / Redevelopment Plan and it is not going to alter any fundamental character or historicity of this area. It is only a readjustment / reorganization of the Central Government Ministry offices, the DDA said in its affidavit. It was contended that the change in land use was in conformity with the Delhi Development Act and each and every provision of the Act as well as the Delhi Development (Master Plan / Zonal Development Plan) Rules was followed. Srivastava challenged the public hearings held in February, and argued that they were not a meaningful exercise. The DDA rebutted this argument stating, Public hearing was held on February 6 and February 7.Full opportunity was granted to each and every person who approached for public hearing. The objections were duly categorized by Board of Enquiry and Hearing and persons raising similar issues were heard at the same time. The opportunity of public hearing had not been denied and in fact submissions of each person have been duly considered by the BoEH while giving its recommendations, the DDAs response said. The DDA stated that the proposal will not increase residential population density in Central Vista area though floating population will increase due to proposed government office buildings. The proposed modification will increase the floating population which will be offset to an extent on account of persons moving out of existing offices housed in six hutments of 90 acre (which will developed into organized spaces). This land use change proposal is not going to alter any fundamental living history and heritage of this area, DDA said. The Supreme Court in June declined to stay the redevelopment of Lutyens Delhis Central Vista for the second time in two months, saying it could prevent government authorities from acting according to the law. 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. Advertisement "This approach could be used as an early intervention to reduce the infection among people who have tested positive, but aren't yet suffering symptoms. But we also see this as part of a larger antiviral strategy," said Robert Linhardt, lead author and a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute."Ultimately, we want a vaccine, but there are many ways to combat a virus, and as we've seen with HIV, with the right combination of therapies, we can control the disease until a vaccine is found."To infect a cell, a virus must first latch onto a specific target on the cell surface, slice through the cell membrane, and insert its own genetic instructions, hijacking the cellular machinery within to produce replicas of the virus.But the virus could just as easily be persuaded to lock onto a decoy molecule, provided that molecule offers the same fit as the cellular target. Once bound to a decoy, the virus would be neutralized, unable to infect a cell or free itself, and would eventually degrade.In humans, SARS-CoV-2 binds to an ACE2 receptor, and the researchers hypothesized that heparin would offer an equally attractive target. In a binding assay, the researchers found that heparin bound to the trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein at 73 picomoles, a measure of the interaction between the two molecules."That's exceptional, extremely tight binding," said Jonathan Dordick, a chemical and biological engineering professor at Rensselaer who is collaborating with Linhardt to develop the decoy strategy. "It's hundreds of thousands of times tighter than a typical antibody antigen. Once it binds, it's not going to come off."To hear Linhardt and Dordick discuss this research, watch this video.Internationally recognized for his creation of synthetic heparin, Linhardt said that, in reviewing sequencing data for SARS-CoV-2, the team recognized certain motifs on the spike protein and strongly suspected it would bind to heparin.In addition to the direct binding assay, the team tested how strongly three heparin variants -- including a non-anticoagulant low molecular weight heparin -- bind to SARS-CoV-2, and used computational modeling to determine the specific sites where the compounds bind to the virus.All the results confirm heparin as a promising candidate for the decoy strategy. The researchers have subsequently initiated work on assessments of antiviral activity and cytotoxicity in mammalian cells."This isn't the only virus that we're going to confront in a pandemic," Dordick said. "We don't really have great antivirals, but this is a pathway forward. We need to be in a position where we understand how things like heparin and related compounds can block virus entry."In previous work, a team led by Linhardt and Dordick demonstrated the decoy strategy on viruses with a mechanism similar to SARS-CoV-2. In 2019, the team created a trap for dengue virus, attaching specific aptamers -- molecules the viral latches will bind to -- precisely to the tips and vertices of a five-pointed star made of folded DNA.Floating in the bloodstream, the trap lights up when sprung, creating the world's most sensitive test for mosquito-borne diseases. In work prior to that, they created a synthetic polymer configured to match the sialic acid latch points on influenza virus, reducing influenza A mortality in mice from 100% to 25% over 14 days."This innovative approach to effectively trapping virusus is a prime example of how biotechnology approaches developed at Rensselaer are being brought forward to address challenging global health problems," said Deepak Vashishth, the director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer, of which both Dordick and Linhardt are a part."Professors Dordick and Linhardt have worked collaboratively across disciplines, and their research shows promise even beyond this current pandemic.""Characterization of glycosaminoglycan and novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein binding interactions" was published in. At Rensselaer, Linhardt and Dordick were joined on the research by Fuming Zhang, and also by researchers at the University of California San Diego, Duke University, and the University of George, Athens with support from the National Institutes of Health.Source: Eurekalert The claim that governing is easy would now sound delusional in the mouth of our overmatched president (though his claim that the U.S. government is afflicted by clowns still has the ring of truth). Trump has attempted to compensate for his incompetence by criticizing acts of his own administration on Twitter (I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools. . . . I will be meeting with them!!!). This is an absolutely bizarre way to conduct business in the executive branch. Instead of working through a process to produce a consensus policy, which would generally be announced in a carefully prepared speech, the president takes pot shots at government experts on social media. Rather than leading, Trump seems more comfortable spectating and commenting. Whether this is a result of his laziness or his inability to operate the levers of power, it is pathetic. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 16 Trend: Azerbaijani military units shot down Armenian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Trend reports on July 16. This morning, the Armenian armed forces, using the X-55 tactical UAV, tried to carry out reconnaissance mission over Azerbaijani positions in Tovuz direction of the state border of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's armed forces located the UAV, and shot it down. Jenna Schiferl was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She has worked as an education reporter for The Post and Courier since 2019. Joe Biden unveiled a proposal Tuesday to transform the nation's energy industry, pledging to eliminate carbon pollution from power plants by 2035 and spend $2 trillion to turbocharge the clean energy economy. The plan would significantly reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels, and the 15-year timeline for a 100 percent clean electricity standard is far more ambitious than anything Biden has previously proposed. It was Biden's latest attempt to channel the liberal energy in his party, as well as a response to calls for sweeping plans to lift a struggling economy. The blueprint was quickly hailed by environmentalists and liberals as a big step forward in the climate fight, and just as quickly denounced by Republicans as an unwieldy plan that would raise energy costs. "We're not just going to tinker around the edges," Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Del. "We're going to make historic investments and seize the opportunity and meet this moment in history." The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee proposed upgrading 4 million buildings and weatherizing 2 million homes over four years, which his campaign estimates would create 1 million jobs. Homeowners would be given cash rebates to upgrade home appliances and install more efficient windows. Car owners would receive rebates to swap their old, less efficient cars for newer ones that release fewer pollutants. Biden also said he would create a new "Environmental and Climate Justice Division" within the Justice Department to prosecute anti-pollution cases. "These aren't pie-in-the-sky dreams," he said. "These are actionable policies that we can get to work on right away." Many of Biden's proposals build on the recommendations of a task force made up jointly of allies of Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Those recommendations include plans to dramatically expand solar and wind energy, including the installation of 500 million solar panels and 60,000 wind turbines. Biden's plan is likely to trigger a vigorous debate with President Donald Trump, who has a much different approach to the country's energy sector and climate policy. Trump, a strong backer of fossil fuels, has sought to roll back Obama-era policies aimed at decreasing carbon dioxide emissions and setting new standards for household items such as lightbulbs. He has also downplayed the science behind climate change, and in 2017 he pledged to pull the United States out of the Paris climate pact. Trump's embrace of the coal industry was one of his signature issues in 2016, part of his portrait of Hillary Clinton as disdainful of the country's industrial workers. It's not clear whether Trump can successfully level similar attacks against Biden, or whether the political landscape has shifted to make that difficult. In 2016, Republicans attacked Clinton for her comment that "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business," though Clinton was suggesting this would happen because of market forces, not as part of her plan. Trump, meanwhile, pledged to revive the ailing coal industry, telling miners in West Virginia that "we are going to get those mines open" if he were elected. But the coal industry has continued to struggle under Trump, largely because of competition from natural gas and renewable energy. The Trump campaign was quick to go after Biden's proposal Tuesday. "His plan is more like a socialist manifesto that promises to massively raise taxes, eliminate jobs in the coal, oil or natural gas industries, and crush the middle class," said Hogan Gidley, the campaign's national press secretary."He's pushing extreme policies that would smother the economy just when it's showing signs of roaring back." Biden, in pledging Tuesday to achieve 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, embraced a more direct approach than President Barack Obama, his boss at the time, took a decade ago during his own efforts to rein in emissions from the power sector. During his first year in office, Obama worked with congressional Democrats on a cap-and-trade system, in which companies buy and sell credits permitting them to release carbon into the atmosphere. But the measure proved politically toxic. It passed the House but was never given a vote in the Senate. Instead, Biden wants to require electric utilities to get more of their power from carbon-free sources - including wind, solar, nuclear and hydroelectric - and to improve the energy efficiency of their systems or face penalties. While some changes could be made through executive actions, a sweeping plan like Biden's could face resistance in Congress - one reason the campaign is framing it as an economic package and not solely an environmental initiative. If Biden wins, its fate may depend on whether Democrats retake the Senate, but the plan's supporters say it has more appeal than a cap-and-trade system. "It's built on a smart approach that's already been tested in the states," said Dan Reicher, a former Energy Department official who co-founded Clean Energy for Biden, which is fundraising for the campaign. "It will be less controversial than a national cap-and-trade system or carbon tax, with real prospects for bipartisan support." Similar standards have proved to be politically viable at the state level. A majority of states - including several conservative ones such as Montana, Iowa and Texas - have imposed their own renewable energy requirements on local utilities. But no standard exists at the federal level. The ratcheted-up targets came after Biden faced pressure from young left-leaning activists and major environmental groups to do more to address what they see as a generational crisis. Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, praised the Biden campaign's announcement for going "further than the strong plan he put out last summer," saying public polling shows voters have an appetite for action. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the federal government should act more aggressively against climate change, according to a recent poll from the Pew Research Center. The big-spending League of Conservation Voters, which pumped more than $80 million into the 2018 election, endorsed Biden in April only after he promised to toughen his climate plan. Biden said Tuesday that the proposal was aimed at twin goals of rebuilding the economy and fighting climate change. Much of the spending, he said, would go toward repairing bridges and roads and improving public transportation systems. He claimed that his proposal was doing what Trump has not, in what became a running joke as the White House week after week said the president would focus on repairing the country's infrastructure, only to digress into other subjects. "It seems like every few weeks when he needs a distraction from the latest charges of corruption . . . the White House announces, quote, it's infrastructure week," Biden said. "But he's never delivered. He's never even really tried." Biden's proposal says all American-built buses should emit zero greenhouse gases by 2030, and it would also aim to convert the country's 500,000 school buses, including those running on diesel fuel, to zero emissions. As Biden has promised previously, he would also aim to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. To tackle climate-warming pollution from the transportation sector, the nation's biggest greenhouse gas source, Biden is endorsing a bill from Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., that would pay people to trade in gas-guzzling cars for electric and other low-emissions vehicles - essentially a "cash for clunkers" program on steroids. While comparing his proposals to what the Obama administration did during the 2009 stimulus, Biden said, "We'll do it again. But this time bigger and faster and smarter." Biden also said he would use the government's purchasing power to convert 3 million vehicles in the federal fleet to clean cars, giving the auto industry an incentive to produce more environmentally friendly cars, trucks and postal vehicles. Biden's campaign declined to describe exactly how he would pay for the new spending. Some of it, advisers said, would be through stimulus funding, which could add to the ballooning federal deficit. It could also be offset by rescinding the tax cuts pushed by Trump and approved by a Republican-controlled Congress in 2017, or by "asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share," the advisers said. The campaign intends to more fully describe how its plans would be funded in the coming weeks, after Biden outlines more of his spending plans, aides said. The climate proposal does not go into detail about what would happen to areas of the country that are heavily reliant on the fossil fuel industry, although one part of Biden's plan aims to create 250,000 jobs plugging abandoned oil and natural gas wells and reclaiming abandoned coal, hard-rock and uranium mines. Biden is also calling for the creation of a "civilian climate corps," an idea that was promoted during the Democratic primary by Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., and modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression. Biden has spoken with Inslee, who ran against him in the Democratic primary with a campaign focused sharply on climate change, and former Inslee advisers have been working with Biden's campaign to craft his energy policy. "This is the single most comprehensive and ambitious climate plan ever advanced by a major presidential nominee," said Sam Ricketts, who co-authored Inslee's climate plan and co-founded Evergreen Action, a group pushing to implement the Inslee plan. Biden is also calling for several environmental justice provisions, including a proposal that some 40 percent of the money he wants to spend on clean energy would go to historically disadvantaged communities. Biden held a fundraiser Monday with about 140 executives where he spoke about his focus on clean energy. "I don't have to be Pollyannaish about this: Donald Trump has ignored the warning, refused to prepare," he said of the climate crisis. The former vice president also said he would take swift action and set a more urgent timeline than his earlier proposal, which would have sought to eliminate carbon emissions from power plants by 2050. That 2050 deadline, he said, "is a million years from now [for] most people. My plan is focused on taking action - now. God willing I win and even if I serve eight years, I want to make sure we put down such a marker that it's impossible for the next president to turn it around." The Guardian The Steelers quarterback is headed to the Hall of Fame. But he was unloved outside Pittsburgh for understandable reasons Ben Roethlisberger almost certainly played his final game in the NFL on Sunday. Photograph: Ed Zurga/AP Ben Roethlisberger is lucky that football legacies are not decided by finales. If Sunday night was indeed Big Bens last ever NFL game, as he has strongly hinted, it wasnt exactly a mic drop. In the 42-21 beatdown by the Chiefs, Roethlisberger struggled with rollouts, and l The British government's decision to ban Huawei's involvement in 5G networks is "a hammer blow" to the country's ambition to become a global 5G leader, an industry analyst warned Tuesday. "Having been on the back foot in 4G, the UK has enjoyed a strong 5G start with four live commercial networks already in place since the start of the year," said Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at CCS Insight, an industry analyst firm. "The decision will inevitably lead to delays in 5G network roll-out and higher overall costs for operators," Mann told Xinhua via email. Earlier Tuesday, the British government announced that buying new Huawei 5G equipment will be banned after Dec. 31, 2020 and all Huawei equipment will be removed from the country's 5G networks by the end of 2027. "The timing (of the announcement) is particularly unfortunate, with the demand for high-quality connectivity never higher due to the coronavirus lockdown," Mann said. The British government announced in January its plans to safeguard the country's telecoms network, approving a restricted role for Huawei in helping build the country's 5G networks. Tuesday's decision marks a U-turn in Britain's policy concerning the Chinese technology company. "We will conduct a detailed review of what today's announcement means for our business here and will work with the UK government to explain how we can continue to contribute to a better connected Britain," said Ed Brewster, a spokesperson for Huawei UK in a statement. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden admitted that the latest decision by the British government is expected to delay the country's 5G roll-out. From an economic viewpoint, eliminating Huawei from Britain's 5G infrastructure market could be expected to lead to higher prices and delays in roll-out, according to a recent report released by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, a research institute in Britain. A previous study, conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Huawei, also said that restricting Huawei from helping to build Britain's 5G infrastructure market would increase roll-out costs by 9 percent to 29 percent. "Ultimately, this will impact consumers who could end up paying more for their service and have to wait longer to connect," Mann said. The official information is provided, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense constantly provides information, and we need to transmit to the international community that which we have transmitted until now. This is what Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters today, touching upon the military operations provoked by Azerbaijan on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Azerbaijan has committed provocative actions in the direction of Armenias state border. Our armed forces have given an adequate response and have prevented a sabotage attempt, including the one last night. As always, the Azerbaijani armed forces are not only shooting at our soldiers, but are also shelling villages and the civilian population. All this is strictly condemnable and are clearly violations of all international conventions, Mirzoyan said. According to him, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and parliamentarians are providing details to Armenias international partners and organizations to which Armenia is a member. Asked for his opinion on the reason for Azerbaijans provocations, Mirzoyan said there are different analyses, but the main reason is the coronavirus situation in the country and several political and economic issues and the fact that the countrys leadership wants to gear the peoples discontent towards Armenia and all Armenians. Asked how he would assess the response of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Mirzoyan said the statement was a call for peace and added that Armenias colleagues in the CSTO are aware that the Armenian armed forces are in full control of the situation and that there is no need for intervention. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has been making headlines for quite some time now because of his link to the late pedophile and disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein, and the accusations that the royal had sex with one of his alleged victims. Who could forget Prince Andrew's November 2019 interview, where he attempted to explain his connection with Epstein? The Duke denied the accusations being thrown at him. However, that interview didn't seem to help him. Many thought that instead of clearing up his name, he had thrown it to the ground even more, bringing along the British monarchy. The BBC interview was seen as a complete disaster. The 60-year-old royal didn't seem believable, nor have shown empathy for the women that Epstein has trafficked in the past. Following that interview, the dad of two was forced to step down from his royal duties. Prince Andrew was even wanted by the U.S. authorities, as they want to ask him a couple of questions. American prosecutors claim that the royal hasn't been cooperative and has avoided taking their calls to be extradited to the U.S. However, it may not be possible because of what happened with his brother, the future King, Prince Charles. On July 2, 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell, the former companion and "madame" of Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested. Since her arrest, many wonder if the Queen's favorite son will be extradited to American to speak to investigators of the Epstein case. According to Nigel Cawthorne, in his book "Prince Andrew: Epstein and the Palace," he believes that the Duke of York "could only try to plead against potential extradition if he had immunity from prosecution as a government official or as a member of the Queen's household." He claims, "It is accepted that it is the one' get-me-out-of-a-US-jail card' before one gets shunted into the American legal system." Cawthorne said that the Prince of Wales set that get-out-of-jail card. He explained that in 1977, Prince Charles was sued after a 10-minute address at the opening of the law faculty building at the University of Cleveland. "Before it could go any further, however, the U.S. State Department intervened and extended legal immunity to Charles." He continued, "The Prince had set a frequently cited precedent that would now be the best chance of avoiding extradition, should it be requested, for his younger brother." Though there are is no news or plans of Prince Andrew being extradited, he is said to be feeling "incredibly nervous" after hearing that Maxwell has been arrested. A source told Us Weekly, "That really scares him." The source added that the 58-year-old madame was also said to be "doing almost anything to escape jail time." If Ghislaine Maxwell gets immunity once she provides the names of high-profile people who sexually molested the women and young girls, everybody is confident that she wouldn't even bat an eyelash and give the investigators the names immediately. It may not be the case for Prince Andrew if Maxwell names him as one of the perpetrators, and it is unsure if the British monarchy will save his butt again this time. READ MORE: Royal Wedding Showdown: Whose Wedding Was the Most Expensive in British Monarchy? Makayla Colby, a junior in the College of Education and a mentor in the Summer Start program, places welcome materials in a residence hall room for incoming Summer Start students. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. As new Boilermakers arrive on campus for Summer Start and Early Start programs, they are welcomed by many people in a short amount of time. But it is the work of a small group of students who can make the biggest impression over a collegiate career: student mentors. This year, 34 students are serving as mentors 30 for Summer Start and Early Start, and four for visiting Purdue Polytechnic High School students during the next five weeks of programs and classes. Mentors are a critical component for student success, said John Gipson, director of summer session. They have been through similar experiences before so they serve as role models for incoming students. Students are often more comfortable talking with other students than faculty or staff. Mentors open a line of communication that helps promote a successful transition to Purdue. Students interested in becoming mentors complete an application process, including interviews. Once selected, they complete training on topics ranging from diversity and inclusion to guiding students through the redesigned residential experience and changes on campus. The summer session staff and our partners across campus have provided excellent training for our mentors as we welcome students for navigating campus and informing everyone of all of the new requirements, Gipson said. The mentors work with students in a variety of ways ranging from answering questions, providing assistance and guidance on resources and networking all while taking classes themselves and living in the residence halls with program participants. Last week, Summer Start mentors Makayla Colby and Christian Nichols were placing welcome kits in student rooms at Harrison Hall. Colby, a junior in the College of Education from Portage, Indiana, and Nichols, a junior in the College of Science from Indianapolis, are both Summer Start alums from 2018 and say the opportunity to serve as mentors is a great way to give back. Colby said she is grateful for the opportunity to serve as a mentor during the next five weeks. "I wanted to be sure that other students of color, with a main focus on Black students, could have support. Representation is important, Colby said. There are other people I can connect with them to make them successful, as well. Colby encourages students to engage with mentors and staff during their transition. Ask for help when you need it, she said. Find a group that doesnt make you feel uncomfortable. Find spaces and be authentic. Network with people. Nichols is in his second summer of serving as a mentor. Coming in early gets you adjusted to campus. Come with an open mind and really make yourself ready for adjustments, he said, adding that program staff are there to help students succeed. Nichols said the mentors are trained to work with students in a variety of settings, including virtual, and to do some activities outside. Well be working within the students comfort zones. Every student is going to be different, he said. Gipson continually receives positive feedback on the mentors and their role in helping new students adjust to campus. It is not uncommon for mentors to meet with their mentees for lunch or other activities after the summer component has concluded. Peer mentors from out of state also seem to be especially important for helping students who are thousands of miles from home for the first time, Gipson said. This year, more than 1,000 new Boilermakers are participating in Purdues Summer Start and Early Start and other on-campus programs, which allow students to arrive early, take summer classes for credit and become adjusted to life on campus. The programs have both in-person and online components. The programs will run for five weeks. Summer Start is a direct-admit program created in 2015 by Purdue President Mitch Daniels to expand access to a Purdue education, especially among lower-income, first-generation and minority students who fell just short in the admissions process but are considered otherwise qualified to succeed at Purdue. Since its inception, Summer Start has given 850 students the opportunity for a Purdue education they otherwise would have been denied. More than 71% of students in the 2020 cohort are from Indiana, and one in five are underrepresented minority students. Summer Start helps prepare Boilermakers for academic success, and complements Purdues land-grant mission of accessibility to a diverse group of students. Organizers have worked with the Protect Purdue Health Center and University Residences to develop a safe move-in process that involved temperature checks, testing, wellness kits and welcome packets. The Protect Purdue Health Center has developed a detailed plan on contact tracing. 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, Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates Source: John Gipson, director of Summer Session, 765-494-5296, gipsonj@purdue.edu Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines: He Qianru, an official in Langbazhai Village, Lushui City, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan Province [For Women of China] Women influencers in remote rural areas are contributing to poverty alleviation by selling local specialties of their hometowns on livestreaming platforms in the battle against poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The efforts have promoted local products, increased rural people's income and energized the rural economy, creating a targeted poverty alleviation model that enables farmers to escape poverty through expanding production and sales by themselves. He Qianru: Village Official Boosts Rural Industry via Livestreaming He Qianru, an official in Langbazhai Village, Lushui City, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. [For Women of China] He Qianru, a woman of Naxi ethnic group, resolutely went back to her hometown to be an official in Langbazhai Village, Luzhang Town, Lushui City, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, after she graduated from the Kunming University of Science and Technology in 2015. She wanted to be on the front line in the fight against poverty in Nujiang, one of the most impoverished regions in the country. Langbazhai is located deep in the Gaoligong Mountains. The climate is humid. In the past, most of the villagers made a living by planting corn and rice with annual per capita income less than 2,000 yuan (US $285.8). He soon found that matsutake (a kind of mushroom) could be a good source of income after she came to the village. She learned techniques from various sources, guided villagers to find matsutake, and purchased equipment to preserve the mushrooms. Matsutake tastes fresh within only three days. If it is not sold as soon as possible, it will be worthless. So He began to sell the mushrooms through online stores and livestreaming platforms. Given her efforts, the matsutake in Langbazhai becomes famous. It is sold across the country through the Internet and is now one of the designated suppliers of a famous food show. Although matsutake is profitable, it is an "unstable industry" that depends on the weather. How could villagers achieve stable income growth? After discussing with a member of the village-stationed poverty alleviation team in Langbazhai, she felt that cultivating common morel (another kind of mushroom) would be a good solution, since the village has high forest coverage, good water quality and fertile soil. They raised money to build a planting base and gained relevant knowledge. Although the morel harvest in the spring of 2017 was not a good one, the net profit was more than 6,000 yuan (US $857.4) per acre. The livestreaming shows of mushrooms also boosted sales of sausages, eggs, black sugar and dried beef in the village. "Encouraging villagers to find market through online platforms is a good way to help them be self-independent in production, promotion and earning income," said He. Wuyinga: Mongolian Woman Shares Hometown's Scenery, Culture Online Wuyinga, a Mongolian woman from West Ujimqin Banner, Xilin Gol League, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [For Women of China] Wuyinga graduated from Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics and went back to her hometown to start her own business in 2017. Once when she was on a train, the passenger next to her asked curiously whether everyone can ride horses and shoot arrows in her hometown. Do they only eat lamb and no vegetables? Are horses their only transportation? She realized that people have strong interest in Mongolian culture but don't know much about people's life in Inner Mongolia, so in 2018 she decided to promote both the folk culture of the Mongolian ethnic group and the beautiful scenery of her hometown via short videos and a livestreaming platform. Now she has nearly 550,000 followers. "People lack a sense of security when they travel to an unfamiliar place. After they watch my video, people will trust me and come here," said Wuyinga. Wuyinga's uncle runs a tourist attraction. Once Wuyinga recorded the construction process of her uncle's Mongolian yurt, the video brought more than 100 tourists to her uncle's place, greatly increasing his income. Many people ordered local specialties via her livestreaming shows and she once set a record of sales valued at 192,000 yuan (US $ 27,430) in three days. In the past two years, she created nearly 800 short videos to over one million viewers on the Internet and created sales valued at more than seven million yuan (US $ 991,900). Wuyinga said, "I hope to show the magnificent scenery as well as the people and culture of Inner Mongolia through the lens, so that more people can know what the grassland look like and how the Mongolian people live thousands of miles away without leaving home." Gerongzhuomu: Young Internet Celebrity Promotes Tibetan Specialties Online Gerongzhuomu, a post-95s Tibetan woman who lives in Gongsha Village, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. [For Women of China] Gerongzhuomu is a post-95s Tibetan woman who lives in Gongsha Village, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. With thousands of followers on short-video platform Kuaishou, she is a beneficiary of the Happy Countryside Project and was invited to attend a training program in Tsinghua University. She drove the villagers to sell products worth more than 4 million yuan (US $571,600) in 2019, which was four times the sales level of the previous year. Once she let her father take a video of her and her mother picking cordyceps (a kind of Chinese medicine), and it received more than 500,000 views. Hundreds of people asked her how to buy cordyceps after they watched the video. Since cordyceps has a potential market, Gerongzhuomu and her husband Du Mokui started using short videos to promote local specialties. In the digging season, the couple lives on the mountain at an altitude of more than 4,800 meters for a month, where the environment is tough. In addition to the videos of digging cordyceps and matsutake, Gerongzhuomu also prepared some videos showing the beautiful scenery and folk culture of her hometown, including blue sky, rainbow, mountains, and ethnic costumes. Gerongzhuomu established a cooperative to help villagers increase their income in 2019. She is now preparing to develop a homestay business to boost local tourism. "People from all over the country have come to experience life," said Gerongzhuomu, adding that some tourists come to dig matsutake while others come to paint pictures or just relax. They often stay for two or three months. "I enjoy my life now, and I hope to stay in my hometown to help more people," she said. Shi Linjiao: Returned College Student Uses Web to Improve Local People's Lives Shi Linjiao is one of the first generation of college students who returned to Shibadong, their hometown and a village in Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Central China's Hunan Province, and started their businesses. [Xinhua/Xue Yuge] Shi Linjiao is one of the first generation of college students who returned to Shibadong, their hometown and a village in Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Central China's Hunan Province, and started their businesses. Shi worked in a company in Liuyang City, Hunan Province, after she graduated from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. She quit her job and returned to her hometown in early 2020 and started her own business together with two other returned college students. They have helped local villagers sell specialties via short videos and livestreaming. The videos they made and uploaded to Douyin, a popular video-sharing platform, are usually 10 seconds long and feature the 24-year-old woman's daily life in the rural areas. They depict her making smoked Miao-style bacon, transplanting rice seedlings, picking up firewood and feeding chickens. The videos quickly attracted viewers curious about this village. The most liked comments included: "This Miao village situated in green mountains and clear water has the taste and smell of an earthly life," "The video reminds me of my childhood" and "So that's how Miao-style bacon is cooked. I want to buy some." Over the past five months, the team has helped villagers sell specialties worth about 40,000 yuan ($5,720), including smoked bacon, pickled radish and Miao clothing. "To start a business in my hometown and make small contributions to my hometown's development is my lifelong pursuit," said Shi. (Women of China) Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday demanded that jailed poet and activist Varavara Rao be released immediately and admitted to a super speciality hospital. Rao's health is a matter of grave concern, Chidambaram said. The 80-year-old activist, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, has tested positive for COVID-19. He is lodged at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai under judicial custody and was admitted to the Maharashtra government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai earlier this week. "The condition of Shri Varavara Rao as described by his family is a matter of grave concern. It is beyond belief that the State, the police and the prison authorities can behave in such an inhuman manner under the watch of the NHRC," Chidambaram said on Twitter. "Shri Varavara Rao should be released immediately and admitted to a super speciality hospital that will treat him properly," he demanded. Rao has been in jail for about 22 months and had earlier approached the special NIA court, seeking bail on medical grounds and the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Rao and nine other activists have been arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, which was initially probed by Pune Police and later transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The case is related to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial. Kidsafe NSW has issued a warning about using essential oils and diffusers around young children because ingesting the fluids can cause 'serious poisoning'. The announcement was shared on the child safety group's official Instagram page, with the caption stating that less than a teaspoon of oil or vaporiser fluids can cause major harm. Essential oils are extracted from plants. These oils can have some of the properties of plants, including the scent, and can be used in aromatherapy treatments or to make perfumes. According to experts working at NSW Property Identification Codes, not much is known about the 'safety' of these products when consumed. Kidsafe NSW has issued a warning about using essential oils and diffusers around young children because ingesting the fluids can cause 'serious poisoning' 'While some sellers make claims about the health benefits of ingesting the oils or rubbing them directly onto skin, NSW PIC does not recommend consuming essential oils,' Kidsafe said. You can also be poisoned by exposing certain oils to the skin - resulting in burns and irritation - or inhaling them, which will sometimes affect your breathing. Australian paediatric doctor Dr Nelu Simonsz shares Kidsafe's concerns about essential oils, writing in 2018 that they are an 'unknown danger' around the house. 'Hopefully parents and childcare workers know that locking up cleaning products and medications away from curious little hands can be life-saving but did you also know that an unknown danger is essential oils,' Dr Nelu said at the time. 'While some sellers make claims about the health benefits of ingesting the oils or rubbing them directly onto skin, NSW PIC does not recommend consuming essential oils,' Kidsafe said (stock image) Australian paediatric doctor Dr Nelu Simonsz (pictured) shares Kidsafe's concerns about essential oils, writing in 2018 that they are an 'unknown danger' around the house 'Yes the seemingly harmless rosemary oil and eucalyptus oil can be very harmful to children if swallowed.' Dr Nelu said essential oils can cause anything from 'severe vomiting to drowsiness to changes in the heart's electrical activity to chemical burns to seizures'. 'After a recent admission of an infant who was fed some oil by their cheeky older sibling it's a good reminder that people may not aware of how lethal these oils can be,' she said. Dr Nelu said parents should adopt a few tactics to ensure their children aren't exposed to any dangerous oils. 'Try to buy bottles with a child safe lid where possible,' she told FEMAIL. 'Some kids are too clever for this so make sure all cleaning products, essential oils, medications, sprays and basically anything that could be dangerous if swallowed, are kept in high places or a cupboard that can't be accessed by kids with childproof locks on them.' Dr Nelu said parents should adopt a few tactics to ensure their children aren't exposed to any dangerous essential oils What are the symptoms to look out for? CLOVE: large ingestions can have hepatotoxicity similar to paracetamol poisoning, renal failure, inhalational pneumonitis, coma FENNEL: Nausea, vomiting, seizure activity, pulmonary oedema GERANIUM: Allergic contact chelitis LAVENDER: CNS depression, ataxia, photosensitiser that promotes hyperpigmentation, contact dermatitis LEMON MYRTLE: Skin irritation and corrosion NUTMEG: hallucinations, coma THUJA: Multiple tonic-clonic seizures WINTERGREEN: (Methyl Salicylate): nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, vertigo, hyperventilation, seizures WORMWOOD: Acidosis, acute renal failure, respiratory acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, visual alterations, delirium, restlessness, paranoia, tremor, and seizures Source: Royal Children's Hospital Advertisement 'If you are using these products, make sure either the kids aren't around or you don't put the product down with your back to the child (it doesn't take long for them to pick it up and put it in their mouth). 'Don't forget the poisons hotline has a wealth of information if you are worried about ingestion of any potentially harmful products.' According to the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, common essential oils to be aware of include lavender, tea tree, nutmeg, sage, peppermint, wintergreen, fennel, geranium, lemon myrtle, thuja, woodworm and clove. 'Toxicity can occur from the essential oil itself along with the hydrocarbons or emulsifiers added to many of the preparations,' the site read. Eucalyptus oil is one of the worst essential oils for a child to ingest, with the RCH stating even small ingestions of the pure oil can lead to severe symptoms. Tachycardia and Hypotension have been reported, as well as depression and apnoea, bronchospasm or signs of aspiration pneumonitis. If your child has been exposed to something and you are concerned about poisoning, call the Poisons Centre on 13 11 26 immediately. Take the product with you to the phone (or a photo of it) so you have all the product details. A team of climate scientists and geologists including Robert DeConto of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has received a five-year, $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to drill through the Greenland Ice Sheet and into the bedrock below, where they will be able to evaluate how long it has been since the last ice sheet retreated from the land surface. DeConto is co-director of the UMass School of Earth and Sustainability. He is a professor in the Department of Geosciences. Greenland has been a target area for climatologists attempting to gauge the pace of global warming, as well as its potential impact. Videos of melting snow and ice on the worlds largest island (if Australia is classified as a continent rather than an island) are often used in televised reports of climate change and global warming Greenlands ice sheet holds enough water to raise sea levels nearly 24 feet. Scientists warn that even smaller levels of rising seas over shorter periods of time, caused by significant loss of the ice sheet, would bring calamitous effects. An overarching question were trying to answer is just how sensitive the Greenland Ice Sheet is to a warmer climate. Loss of the ice sheet, even a small amount, would be catastrophic for many people and coastlines, DeConto said. In addition to UMass Amherst, investigators at Columbia, Penn State and the University at Buffalo will receive $3 million in research funds and $4 million for field operations from the National Science Foundation for the project, dubbed GreenDrill. Drilling at four sites will go through hundreds of meters of ice before collecting bedrock. Among other things, the researchers will use the new data to test the hypothesis that northern Greenland is more sensitive to warming than the southern part. This project has the potential to substantially improve our understanding of how the ice sheet behaves and responds to a warmer world with great benefits to society. For a climate scientist, thats about as exciting as it gets, DeConto said/ DeConto and colleagues will explore how far the ice sheet can be pushed before ice loss become unstoppable and irreversible, and what part of the ice sheet is likely to respond first to a warming climate. The project is focused on the northern part of the ice adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, which DeConto said is now warming very quickly. There are likely important linkages between the Arctic Ocean its temperature and loss of sea ice and the health of the ice sheet. Its absolutely critical that we know how much ice Greenland lost in the past, and this is still very uncertain,' he said. An international team tracking the 'new physics' neutrinos has checked the data of all the relevant experiments associated with neutrino detections against Standard Model extensions proposed by theorists. The latest analysis, the first with such comprehensive coverage, shows the scale of challenges facing right-handed neutrino seekers, but also brings a spark of hope. In all the processes involving neutrinos that have been observed, these particles exhibit a feature referred to by physicists as left-handedness. Right-handed neutrinos, which are the most natural extension of the Standard Model, are nowhere to be seen. Why? The latest, extremely comprehensive analysis carried out by an international group of physicists, including the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow helps to answer this question. For the first time, data from all the relevant experiments, directly and indirectly dedicated to neutrino detections, were included and checked against the ranges of parameters imposed by various theoretical extensions of the Standard Model. The first subatomic particle, the electron, was observed more than 120 years ago. Since then, physicists have discovered a whole plethora of them. The richness of the building bricks of nature is explained on the assumption that the world consists of massive quarks, occurring in six flavours, and much less massive leptons, also in six flavours. Leptons include the electron, the muon (weighing 207 times the mass of the electron), the tau (3477 times the mass of an electron) and the corresponding three types of neutrinos. Neutrinos interact extremely poorly with the rest of matter. They also show other features of particular importance for the shape of modern physics. It has recently been discovered that these particles oscillate, i.e. they are constantly transforming from one type to another. This phenomenon means the observed neutrinos must have a certain (though very low) mass. Meanwhile, the Standard Model, a modern theoretical tool describing subatomic particles with great accuracy, leaves no alternative: within its framework neutrinos cannot have any mass! This contradiction between theory and experience is one of the strongest indications in favour of the existence of unknown subatomic particles. The mass of neutrinos, however, is not their only puzzling property. "We learn about the presence of neutrinos by observing the decay products of various particles and comparing what we have recorded with what theory predicts. It turns out that in all cases indicating the presence of neutrinos, these particles always had the same helicity: 1/2, i.e. they were left-handed. This is interesting because other particles of matter can have both positive and negative spin. But there are no right-handed neutrinos to be seen! If they don't exist, then why not? And if they do, where are they hiding?" asks Dr. Marcin Chrzaszcz (IFJ PAN). An article just published in the European Physical Journal C by an international team of physicists brings us closer to answering the above questions. Scientists from IFJ PAN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research - CERN, Universite catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany) and University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) ) carried out the most accurate analysis to date of the data collected in over a dozen of the most sophisticated experiments in subatomic physics, both those of a general nature and those directly dedicated to observing neutrinos (including PIENU, PS-191, CHARM, E949, NuTeV, DELPHI , ATLAS, CMS). The researchers did not limit themselves to merely increasing the number of experiments and the amount of data processed. In their analysis, they considered the possibility of hypothetical processes proposed by theoreticians that require the presence of right-handed neutrinos. One of them was the seesaw mechanism associated with Majorana neutrinos. In 1937, Ettore Majorana postulated the existence of a particle of matter that is its own antiparticle. Such a particle could not have an electric charge. Since all particles of matter carry electric charge, except for neutrinos, the new particle can be a neutrino. "The theory suggests that if Majorana neutrinos exist, there can also be a seesaw mechanism. This would mean that when neutrinos with one helicity state are not very massive, then neutrinos with the opposite helicity must have very large masses. So, if our neutrinos which are left-handed have very low masses, if they were to be Majorana neutrinos, in the right-handed version they would have to be massive. This would explain why we haven't seen them yet," says Dr. Chrzaszcz and adds that massive right-handed neutrinos are one of the candidates for dark matter. The latest analysis, carried out using the specialized open source GAMBIT package, took into account all currently available experimental data and parameter ranges provided by various theoretical mechanisms. Numerically it was extremely onerous. The seesaw mechanism itself meant that the calculations had to use floating-point numbers not of double, but of quadruple precision. Ultimately, the volume of data reached 60 TB. The analysis had to be carried out in the fastest Polish computing cluster Prometheus, managed by the Academic Computer Centre Cyfronet of the AGH University of Science and Technology. The results of the analysis, financed on the Polish side from grants from the Foundation for Polish Science and the National Agency for Academic Exchange, do not inspire optimism. It turned out that despite many experiments and a huge amount of collected data, the possible parameter space was penetrated to only a small extent. "We may find right-handed neutrinos in experiments that are just about to begin. However, if we are unlucky and right-handed neutrinos are hiding in the farthest recesses of parameter space, we may have to wait up to one hundred years for their discovery," says Dr. Chrzaszcz. Fortunately, there is also a shadow of hope. A trace of a potential signal was captured in the data that could be associated with right-handed neutrinos. At this stage it is very weak and ultimately it may turn out to be just a statistical fluctuation. But what would happen if it wasn't? "In this case, everything indicates that it would already be possible to observe right-handed neutrinos in the successor to the LHC, the Future Circular Collider. However, the FCC has a certain disadvantage: it would start working about 20 years after its approval, which in the best-case scenario may take place only next year. If it doesn't, we will have to arm ourselves with a great amount of patience before we see right-handed neutrinos," concludes Dr. Chrzaszcz. ### The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently the largest research institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The broad range of studies and activities of IFJ PAN includes basic and applied research, ranging from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of methods of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly yield of IFJ PAN encompasses more than 600 scientific papers in the Journal Citation Reports published by the Clarivate Analytics. The part of the Institute is the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB) which is an infrastructure, unique in Central Europe, to serve as a clinical and research centre in the area of medical and nuclear physics. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Krakow Research Consortium: "Matter-Energy-Future" which possesses the status of a Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics for the years 2012-2017. In 2017 the European Commission granted to the Institute the HR Excellence in Research award. The Institute is of A+ Category (leading level in Poland) in the field of sciences and engineering. CONTACTS: Dr. Marcin Chrzaszcz The Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences email: marcin.chrzaszcz@ifj.edu.pl SCIENTIFIC PAPERS: "A Frequentist Analysis of Three Right-Handed Neutrinos with GAMBIT" M. Chrzaszcz, M. Drewes, T. E. Gonzalo, J. Harz, S. Krishnamurthy, Ch. Weniger European Physical Journal C, 80, 569 (2020) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8073-9 LINKS: http://www.ifj.edu.pl/ The website of the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences. http://press.ifj.edu.pl/ Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trumps plans for a grand convention keep shrinking. The Republican National Committee announced Thursday that it is sharply restricting attendance on three of the four nights of its convention in Jacksonville, Florida, next month. As the GOP looks for ways to move forward while coronavirus cases are spiking in the state, party leader Ronna McDaniel said in a letter to RNC members that only the roughly 2,500 regular delegates to the convention would be permitted to attend the first three nights. Delegates, their guests and alternate delegates would be allowed for the final night, Aug. 27, when Trump is set to deliver his acceptance speech. The GOP had already moved most of the convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, after local officials ruled out a full-capacity crowd during the pandemic. When we made these changes, we had hoped to be able to plan a traditional convention celebration to which we are all accustomed, McDaniel said. However, adjustments must be made to comply with state and local health guidelines. In recent weeks, Florida has seen significant increases in confirmed cases. Jacksonville has instituted a face covering mandate, and the state is limiting gatherings to 50% of a venues capacity. The convention notice comes as Trump aides and allies have increasingly questioned whether the event is worth the trouble; some advocate scrapping it. Conventions are meant to lay out a candidates vision for the coming four years, not spark months of intrigue over the health and safety of attendees, they have argued. In the end, the decision about whether and how to move forward will be Trumps. Thursdays announcement was expected to reduce the number of attendees even regular delegates who make the trip to Jacksonville, in most cases spending thousands of dollars of their own money to attend a convention that will lack many of the traditional festivities. Already some had been having second thoughts about going, given that some states have imposed 14-day quarantine orders on people returning from virus hot spots such as Florida. People coming from out of state, my guess is the guest list will be very small, said Florida Republican Party Chair Joe Gruters. The RNC was working to determine a programming lineup for the event. McDaniel said the convention was planning to use indoor and outdoor spaces. GOP officials said the marquee evening program, including Trumps speech, was expected to take place outdoors to accommodate the largest crowd possible. Clustered near an indoor 15,000-capacity arena in downtown Jacksonville are a 5,550-capacity music amphitheatre, a minor league baseball stadium and the Jacksonville Jaguars football stadium. The GOP will be providing on-site temperature checks and face coverings and will have COVID-19 testing available for attendees. We can gather and put on a top-notch event that celebrates the incredible accomplishments of President Trumps administration and his re-nomination for a second term while also doing so in a safe and responsible manner, McDaniel wrote. Gruters said he was informed that the RNC would provide daily rapid tests for every attendee. The formal business of renominating Trump will still take place in Charlotte, but with a far smaller group of delegates casting proxy votes. Democrats will hold an almost entirely virtual convention Aug. 17-20 in Milwaukee using live broadcasts and online streaming, according to party officials. Joe Biden plans to accept the presidential nomination in person, but it remains to be seen whether there will be a significant in-person audience there to see it. ___ Associated Press writer Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 16:11:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zoran Zaev, leader of the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), celebrates victory of his party in early parliamentary elections, in Skopje, North Macedonia, July 16, 2020. The ruling SDSM party declared victory early Thursday after the State Election Commission (SEC) data showed that their coalition took the lead in early parliamentary elections. The SEC data suggests that the SDSM-led coalition was ahead with 36.13 percent of votes when 93.96 percent of the total votes were counted. (Photo by Tomislav Georgiev/Xinhua) SKOPJE, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) party declared victory early Thursday after the State Election Commission (SEC) data showed that their coalition took the lead in early parliamentary elections. The SEC data suggests that the SDSM-led coalition was ahead with 36.13 percent of votes when 93.96 percent of the total votes were counted. Speaking at a news conference in the early hours of Thursday, SEC spokesman Admir Shabani said the commission cannot give a projection on the number of seats parties have won in the 120-seat parliament. The coalition led by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party has garnered 34.65 percent of votes, followed by the Democratic Union for Integration party with 11.57 percent and the Alliance for Albanians and Alternativa with 8.79 percent. The commission declared that a suspected hacking attack caused the SEC website to crash soon after polls closed on Wednesday evening, delaying preliminary results. SDSM leader Zoran Zaev declared his coalition's victory during a news conference early Thursday. "Our coalition 'We can' is the winner of these parliamentary elections, the biggest, the most deserved, the most powerful coalition," Zaev said. Addressing party supporters in Skopje, he declared that "citizens voted for a safe future, unity and solidarity, economic patriotism, order and justice." Early parliamentary elections in North Macedonia were first set for April 12, but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters arrived at the polling stations wearing mandatory masks. Polling stations closed at 9:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, with the election commission saying turnout had reached 50.86 percent (922,678 citizens) 15 minutes before polls closed. North Macedonia's parties reached an agreement for the April 12 snap parliamentary elections after the country's bid for accession negotiation with the European Union was denied in October last year. North Macedonia has had a caretaker government since Zaev's resignation as prime minister in January. In February, North Macedonia's lawmakers voted to dissolve the parliament, paving the way for early elections set for April 12. SEC spokesman Shabani told the news conference that the number of parliament seats will be revealed on Thursday, after all voting data is processed. 16.07.2020 LISTEN The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service has paid a private visit to the family of the KNUST SHS final year Business student, Richard Sam, who passed away on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at the Manhyia Government Hospital. The visit which took place on Thursday, July 15, 2020, at the family home at Ahenema Kokoben New Site was led by the Deputy Minister for Education, Hon. Gifty Twum-Ampofo, who represented the Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh. She was accompanied by the Deputy Director-General for Quality and Access of the GES, Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh who represented his Director-General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa. Also part of the delegation was the Financial Controller for the GES, Reverend Dr. Christian Koramah, the Regional Director of Education Mary Owusu Achiaw and the Ashanti Regional Secretary of GNAT Mr. Boateng. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry and Government, Hon. Twum-Ampofo expressed the deepest condolences of the Ministry and the Government to the bereaved family and consoled them for their loss. She extended to the family the sympathy of Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and the entire Education Ministry. On behalf of the Government, Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who had wished to be here himself, and the entire Education Ministry, we express our heartfelt and deepest condolences for the loss of your beloved son. It is very sad to lose such a brilliant student at this crucial time, she consoles the family. On behalf of the entire management and staff of the GES, Dr. Tandoh also expressed the sincere sympathies to the family. The Director-General will work to ensure that an investigation into the death of your son is fully conducted, he assured the family. On the part of the family, they thanked the government delegation and expressed their assurance that they will work closely with the authorities to bring closure to their loss. Before the departure of the delegation, there was a separate private meeting between the father, mother, and the delegation where heartfelt conversations took place allowing the parents of the late student to confer with the Deputy Minister and her team. The delegation promised to visit again and the family also promised to keep the ministry and GES informed of their plans about the deceased burial rites. It will be recalled that on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, Leonard Sam, an ulcer patient, died after suffering from stomach pain for more than three hours without being given any medical attention at the school campus. The victims colleague students, who attended to him until his father arrived on campus to convey him to a health facility where he later died, said the school authorities left the patient to his fate despite reeling under intense pain with vomiting bouts. ---OtecfmGhana Zeotap Raises $42m to Expand CIP and ID+ SaaS-based customer intelligence platform (CIP) Zeotap has raised $42m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to continue invest in its platform, and in its recently launched universal marketing identity solution, ID+. Launched in 2014 and headquartered in Germany, Zeotap has additional operations in India and the US. The company aims to help clients understand their customers and predict their future behaviour, and last month rolled out ID+, promising to help counter the challenges posed by the phase-out of third-party cookies and other platform identifiers, as well as the regulatory landscape, by establishing a 'universal identity'. Half the company's new funding was secured this year, and the remainder was raised last year from existing backers. Latest investors include Neue Capital, the European Investment Bank (EIB), KfW-backed fund coparion; Kathaka, socialite Caroline Rupert's family office; MathCapital; and TTCER Partners; along with several prominent business angels. Existing investors that also participated include New Science Ventures, Capnamic Ventures, Iris Capital, HERE, Innov8 (Singtel), and IONIQ. Zeotap co-founder and CEO Daniel Heer (pictured), comments: 'Once again, some of the world's most established investors have placed their trust in us. In a tumultuous time for the industry, this will allow us to continue on our mission to deliver solutions to marketers' most pressing problems'. Web site: www.zeotap.com . Weather Alert ...Bitterly cold temperatures expected starting Wednesday Afternoon... ...Slick Roads possible late Wednesday Afternoon and Night... An Arctic blast of cold air will move into the Quad State region Wednesday afternoon, pushing the entire region below the freezing mark by 7 pm Wednesday. Once the cold air moves in, temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until early Saturday afternoon. Gusty north winds will produce very low wind chills Thursday into Friday morning. Wind chills below zero will be likely over southern Illinois and southeast Missouri, with barely above zero wind chills over west Kentucky and southwest Indiana. Wind Chills will remain in the single digits for parts of the area all day on Thursday and into early Friday morning. Anyone traveling or working outdoors should bundle up in layers to protect yourself from developing hypothermia and frostbite. Consideration should also be given to protect pets and livestock left outdoors. For those with water systems vulnerable to an extended period of sub-freezing temperatures, be sure to keep a trickle of water running through those systems. A Winter Weather Advisory is currently posted for part of southwest Indiana and the Pennyrile region of west Kentucky late Wednesday afternoon and night, where the best accumulation of wintry precipitation is expected. However, with temperatures expected to plummet and remain below freezing, any wintry precipitation still left on roadways and sidewalks across the Quad State late Wednesday afternoon and night will freeze. Travelers should use caution while traveling and be watchful for any slick spots on roadways, especially elevated bridges and overpasses. Please stay tuned to the National Weather Service in Paducah for the latest forecasts and statements associated with this winter event. Dumfries Rd. near Bristow Rd., 2:58 p.m. July 2. A 19-year-old woman reported that she arranged a ride via a ride-hailing app just before 5 a.m. and during the ride, the driver exposed himself and sexually assaulted her. The woman was able to separate herself from the driver before arriving at the requested destination. No injuries were reported. The driver, a 27-year-old Waldorf man, fled. A seven-months pregnant mother woke up from two weeks on a coronavirus ventilator to be told her unborn child had died in South Africa. Marzanne Lennox, 29, was admitted to the Life Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria with severe Covid-19 symptoms on June 30 and was put on a ventilator straight away. Mrs Lennox - who was 30-weeks along at the time - was too weak for an emergency Caesarean delivery and her oxygen levels were dangerously low. Her family were told that the baby had died shortly after, South African site News 24 reported. Mrs Lennox herself was told Tuesday - once she was strong enough. Seven-months pregnant Marzanne Lennox, 29, (pictured) woke up from two weeks on a coronavirus ventilator to be told her unborn child had died in South Africa Mrs Lennox's father Skip Scheepers said: 'The baby didn't make it - he is with Jesus. 'The pain just won't go away - we now have to start organising a funeral.' Doctors then performed a Caesarean section on Mrs Lennox to remove the baby. Her father added: 'They told her they were going to remove the baby moments before the operation. She was very emotional.' Her husband Thomas, 30, was able to visit the hospital to meet with her doctors this week. Mrs Lennox (pictured with her husband) was admitted to the Life Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria with severe Covid-19 symptoms on June 30 and was put on a ventilator straight away Her husband Thomas, 30, (pictured on their wedding day) was able to visit the hospital to meet with her doctors this week But due to rules put in place by the hospital to slow the spread of the virus none of the family have been able to visit Mrs Lennox herself. She remained on the ventilator for two weeks. South Africa has the most confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa with over 224,000. Gauteng province - home to Pretoria where the hospital is - has the country's most cases with over 75,000, or 33 per cent. Provincial official Bandile Masuku, a medical doctor, last week told reporters that Gauteng is preparing over 1.5 million graves. Mrs Lennox (pictured on her wedding day) - who was 30-weeks along at the time - was too weak for an emergency Caesarean delivery and her oxygen levels were dangerously low 'It's a reality that we need to deal with,' he said, and it's the public's responsibility 'to make sure that we don't get there.' But the province in a statement Thursday sought to calm fears, saying it 'does not have over a million already open dug graves' and clarified that the official was saying the province has enough space for that many. It also said six members of Gauteng's Covid-19 War Room have tested positive for the virus. The number of cases in the country is continuing to rise with 12,757 reported on Wednesday alone. Its death toll is fluctuating with 174 deaths reported on Tuesday and 107 reported on Wednesday. However, the total number of deaths is on an upwards curve. Modelling has shown that South Africa will have between 40,000 and 80,000 deaths by the end of the year. Ellembelle Constituency Executives of the new patriotic party (NPP) on Tuesday expressed gratitude and maximum support to Dr. Ben Asante, the CEO of Ghana Gas for his unprecedented developmental agenda on Nzema land. The party in a press statement on Tuesday, 14th July debunked a press conference organized by Nzema Youth which sought to create the impression that the Nzemas are being denied employment opportunities and other developmental projects under the reign of Dr. Ben Asante. According to the constituency Chairman Mr. Samuel Akainya, the group calling itself Nzema Youth are NDC surrogates from only two communities, Anokyi and Asemda-Suazo, and are on the political trail to mislead and denigrate the hard-won reputation of Dr. Ben Asante. Advancing his argument, he said the leader of the group, Mr. Awotwe once an NDC organizer and his group needlessly extended the same vituperation and unwarranted attack on our highly respected paramount chief, Awulaye Amihere Kpanyili (III). This is total disrespect and disregard to traditional authorities from a youth group seeking to undermine the authority of the overlord of Eastern Nzema. Dr. Ben Asante, the CEO of Ghana Gas has the Nzemas at heart and doing everything possible to lift the image of Nzema by creating more job opportunities to local people. He concluded. The Constituency Research and Elections officer, Mr. Isaac K. Polley enumerated several social interventions programmes enrolled and projects built by Ghana Gas under the leadership of Dr. Ben Asante. The Press release concluded that we encourage Dr. Ben Asante to stay focus and implement the good policies and programmes earmark for Project Affected Communities and ensure that Ghanaians enjoy an interrupted Gas supply for reliable power generation. Read the full statement below; Ellembelle NPP Executives Support The Developmental Agender Of Dr. Ben Asante On Nzema Land We read with shock and disappointment a press conference organized by a group of NDC surrogates referring to themselves as Nzema Youth. When was this Nzema Youth formed and what has been their modus operandi? To begin with, the content of their statement is riddled with factual inaccuracies and tribal bigotry purported to tarnish the image of Dr. Ben Asante the CEO of Ghana Gas. They sought to create the impression that we the Nzemas are being denied employment opportunities under the reign of Dr. Asante, this assertion beat our imagination since it is clear that the number of Nzemas in the company have more than doubled and expanded to cover all the three Nzema Districts-namely Ellembelle, Jomoro, and Nzema East under the leadership of Dr. Asante. If these simple checks were done by the so-called group, they would have recused themselves from making those ethnocentric statements to create the impression that all Nzema Youth are involved in this divisive tendency. To set the records straight we will like to highlight a few of the good intentions of the current CEO towards Nzemas. Under the current CEO, the Community Relations Department of Ghana Gas is dominated by personnel from the locality and headed by two Senior Managers all of them Nzemas, which was not the case under the previous regime. Dr. Ben Asante, who the group claim is anti-Nzema has instituted a support scheme for Traditional Council Meetings in all the three Nzema districts to ensure that Awulayemo and Nanamon are supported in their quarterly meetings. The CEO has also made a personal commitment to attend all Kundum Festivals in all the Paramountcies. Our checks at Ghana Gas indicates that most of the local contracts including CSR projects are awarded to local contractors to build their capacity in the world of business. SAMUEL AKAINYA ISAAC K. POLLEY CONSTITUENCY CHAIRMAN CONSTITUENCY RESEARCH OFFICER 0557961031 0242132397 Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[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. Featured Video WEST HAVEN U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called Wednesday for further federal funding to aid Metro-North Railroad and help keep the service running while allowing passengers to maintain appropriate social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Blumenthal advocated for his colleagues to pass the HEROES Act, which would include $32 billion to support mass transit, including funding for Metro-North. Metro-North previously received $224 million through the CARES Act, Blumenthal said. The additional funding is necessary to help Metro-North offset its losses and encourage more trains to be put back on the tracks so people feel they can appropriately socially distance while riding the rails, Blumenthal said. This additional infusion and investment of resources is vital. And the country should be demanding that Mitch McConnell put this bill on the floor, give us a vote, said Blumenthal, during a press conference at the West Haven station. Safe and reliable transportation is not a luxury. It is a necessity. And equally necessary is the equipment and trains to enable physical distancing. Metro-North Railroad President Cathy Rinaldi agreed more funding is needed. We appreciate the Senators tireless advocacy on behalf of Metro-Norths customers in the state of Connecticut. We share his commitment to the safety of our customers and our employees, and we are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the customers who are starting to return to the Metro-North system have the best possible experience, Rinaldi said in a statement. Metro-North is the engine that drives the economy in southern Connecticut, and we agree with the Senator that substantial federal funding will be necessary if Metro-North - and the region - are to recover from the devastating effects of this historic public health crisis. Edward Valente, general chairman of the Association of Commuter Rail Employees, said that Metro-North has been devastated financially during the coronavirus pandemic, as ridership has decreased significantly. At the same time, he said, workers have continued to do their jobs, putting our health on the line to keep the trains running. Valente called for Metro-North to run more trains and ideally return to full service. He said that more than 70 trains have run while more than one-third full since July 1, according to ACREs count, which does not allow for social distancing by Metro-Norths definition. As we continue to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, let me assure you that the men and women of ACRE will be there for our passengers and will do our part to keep the New Haven line running, said Valente. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Early-stage human trial data on a vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will be published on July 20, The Lancet medical journal said on Wednesday. The vaccine candidate is already in large-scale Phase III human trials to assess whether it can protect against COVID-19, but its developers have yet to report Phase I results which would show whether it is safe and whether or not it induces an immune response. "We expect this paper, which is undergoing final editing and preparation, to be published on Monday, July 20, for immediate release," a spokeswoman for the journal said. The Lancet's statement came after reports earlier on Wednesday that the Phase I data could be released as soon Thursday. Developers of the vaccine, known as known as AZD1222, said earlier this month they were encouraged by the immune response they had seen in trials so far and were expecting to publish Phase 1 data by the end of July. A preclinical trial of the shot in pigs showed that two doses produced a greater antibody response than a single dose. More than 100 vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to try to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged the global economy. The World Health Organization's chief scientist said in June that AstraZeneca's AZD1222 was probably the most advanced in terms of development. The company has signed agreements with governments around the globe to supply the vaccine should it prove effective. Researchers in the United States reported on Tuesday that Moderna Inc's experimental vaccine showed it was safe and provoked immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study. Moderna started its Phase II trial in May and expects to start a Phase III trial on July 27. Also read: Coronavirus drug: Hetero Healthcare to supply 60,000 vials of Covifor The COVID-19 outbreak is spreading more rapidly in Nueces County than anywhere else in virus-ravaged Texas, spurring officials there to enact a curfew and ban vehicles on its popular beaches. Were unfortunately the county that has the highest number of new cases every day per 100,000 in population, Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said in a public briefing this week. The coastal region of about 362,000 people reported 605 new cases on Tuesday: its highest count yet. On Wednesday, the county reported 500 new cases of COVID-19, its second highest daily count. Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News To stem the flow of visitors and rein in the outbreak, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales issued an order to prohibit vehicles on beaches starting Thursday, and no one will be allowed on the sand from sundown to sunrise. All of the out-of-town visitors that are coming for day trips, short vacations and just general summer fun, its got to stop, Canales said. It has to. Because at 600 cases a day, its untenable. Those 600 cases, theyll turn into hospitalizations, a portion of them. Theyll turn into ICU, and it pains me to say this, but theyre also going to turn into fatalities. The countywide order extends until Aug. 1. We may have to close them even longer, Zanoni said. Thats what weve asked the state permission to do. Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News He added, People can walk to the beach or run or bike or fish or swim or sit down in a chair or camp, to the extent they can get the equipment there to the Gulf beaches. They just cant drive on the beach. Until this month, the virus had left the highly trafficked tourist destination about 170 miles south of San Antonio relatively unscathed. From April to June, Nueces County recorded only eight COVID-19-related deaths. So far this month, 62 people have died from the disease there, launching the county into second place in average daily fatalities in Texas. Now Playing: Animation shows spread of COVID-19 across Texas from March to April. Video: mySA Day-trippers flooding in from nearby counties to visit the beaches are likely driving the surge, said Port Aransas City Manager David Parsons. Its like every weekend is Fourth of July, he said. Experts say transmission of the virus is much less likely outdoors. But trips to the beach are still risky, Parsons said. Theyre piling into the convenience gas stations, he said. Thats where its happening. Its not the beach. Its at the Stripes store, the 7-11. Its the fast-food restaurants. Its all the preparation that a family or a group of people take to get to the beach. Orders banning vehicles on beaches are an effective way to discourage visitors, Parsons added. Its a major inconvenience, he said. Lets say it cuts down 50 percent of the traffic. Every little bit helps. Its a good medium. Youre not chopping the businesses off at the knees. Canales had previously issued an order banning vehicles on beaches over the Fourth of July weekend. That order had a significant impact on visitors, Zanoni said, reducing traffic on the John F Kennedy Memorial Causeway bridge to about 4,000 vehicles over 12 hours. By contrast, 25,000 vehicles passed over the bridge over 12 hours on Memorial Day. Focused measures are necessary to blunt the worrisome trajectory, Canales said. Over time, weve moved from the bottom to the top, she said. When youre number one in Texas, its hard to figure out where else its worse. I need people to act as if their lives depended upon it because they do. bchasnoff@express-news.net The Bible family has talked about Busicks plea for months and what is the best option, said Lisa Bible Brodrick, Laurias cousin. Though many will agree this isnt enough time, in the big picture, time is of the essence, and we need to get all the information we can to find the girls, Brodrick said. Rather than be upset over the time he (Busick) is facing, we want to use that energy to pray for his eyes to be open and his mind will be clear, she said. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent Tammy Ferrari and District 12 District Attorneys Investigator Gary Stansill have been analyzing and researching possible search locations for the remains of Lauria and Ashley, missing for over two decades. Investigators have spent months searching mine shafts, ponds and other spots of interest in the former Tar Creek mining area. These locations came from recent information received from an undisclosed source, Stansill said. The family continues to plead for people who have information but still havent shared it to come forward. We need to bring the girls home, Brodrick said. This is part of Debt Nation, a series of interviews with people about how student loans have shaped their lives. Read the rest here. Education: Bachelors in public health, masters in public policy Current job: Works on program support for state prisons Household income: $270,000 Relationship status: Married, expecting a child Peak student debt: $53,000 in 2013 Current student debt: $0, last payment was May 2017 I am student loan debtfree. My parents paid for my undergrad education. My mom is in management in the social work field, and my dad works for a trucking company in sales. We were not super wealthy growing up. My parents got a bit of a late start. They met in the Army in training and served together. Then they went to school on the GI Bill. It took them a while to build their professional careers. They didnt have a ton of savings, so they just paid out of pocket for my education. But because education had been such a help for them, it was really important to them to get me and my two sisters started. The deal was everyone gets undergrad paid for, and then grad school you figure out on your own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just feel very grateful for my parents help but also guilty for how much opportunity I got and how much advantage Ive had. I went to UC Berkeley for undergrad. Tuition at that point was probably $7,000 to $10,000 a semester. They covered that and also living expenses in the Bay Area. I lived cheap, in cooperative housing, but still it was a thing I didnt have to pay for. All told, Im estimating that the amount they paid was probably $80,000 or so. But I didnt have to pay for it, so I didnt pay that much attention. My mom has some student loan debt from her graduate education, but the environment is really different now in terms of educational costs. Im the oldest, so my college experience was my parents first time going through the process. My dad has a background in accounting, which was extremely helpful in figuring out, OK, my rent is this month. I get this much monthly from my employment. My scholarship amount is this much, and then books and electric bills and food cost this much. He helped me calculate how much I would have to take out in order to cover the gap between my scholarship and my expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Then I did a masters in public policy at Georgetown. I had no counseling about loans. Basically you just kind of go online, and you type in how much you want. I had a pretty heavy scholarship there for a lot of my tuition, and I worked part time as well. In the end, I still had about $53,000 in loans. One of the things I thought a lot about was trying to pick a highly regarded institution, because I wanted to have a lot of options when I left grad school to be able to pay off the debt. Because I didnt have debt from undergrad, that made it a lot easier for me to have flexibility about where I went. For example, I was offered a full-ride scholarship to another school that I turned down even though the financial aid offer was better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My payments, when I graduated, were roughly $670 a month. And then every couple of months I would throw $500, $1,000 extra at it. I would get my tax refund check, and I would throw that at it. Another thing my parents did for me was they co-signed on a loan and paid a down payment on a house for me in my hometown. That was huge for me, obviously, because I then had this asset, which has now appreciated substantially. They helped subsidize me for a little bit so I could make that monthly student loan payment while still being able to make a monthly payment on this house. In mid-2015, my husband moved in with me as well. He had a similar amount of debt from his grad school and also no undergrad debt. Were both high-income earners; we earn relatively the same, about $10,600 each a month. Between our two incomes, our relatively cheap house, and not having to save for a down payment, which is what a lot of our friends were doing at that point, we were able to really aggressively start paying off our loans. Advertisement Advertisement We had been dating maybe for four years when he proposed. I had still probably $15,000 in loans, and he had some savings. He had paid off his loans by then, and we just decided to wipe my loan debt out. And then we were able to start putting the money that would have gone toward student loans toward a wedding and things like vacations. Advertisement Advertisement My husband and I do not pay enough in taxes. Its ridiculous. I did not expect to be making anywhere near this amount of money at this point in my career. It just kind of worked out that way. When I was leaving school, before I decided to come back to California, Id actually accepted a job working for a consulting firm in D.C., largely just related to the amount of debt I had. When youre looking at jobs where you can use a public policy degree, consulting way out-earns anything in the public sector. But I wanted to come back to California. My parents helping with the home purchase is the thing that made the decision for me. Paying D.C. rent and paying off my student loans, even working for a consulting firm, it would have taken me forever to get enough money to pay a down payment. Advertisement Advertisement I have about 70 staffers who work for me, and a lot of them are very close in age to me. All our jobs require college educations, so they all have at least a bachelors degree, and many have lots of debt. I just feel very grateful for my parents help but also guilty for how much opportunity I got and how much advantage Ive had. It feels so deeply unfair. My husband and I still have our jobs right now, but I have been thinking about how grateful I am that Ive paid off that debt and its just not a liability that I have to worry aboutbeing pregnant in a pandemic and thinking about having to save money to pay for day care and college funds and things like that. We just bought a new, bigger house, and we thought about selling the old one because we would have gotten a lot of money from the equity. But we decided to hold onto it as a rental property and then by the time our kids are ready to go to school, that property will be paid off, and well just have the rental income. Thats one of our thoughts in terms of paying for a kid to go to school. But yeah, we plan to pay for our kids education. Advertisement I think theres this sense that folks who have done what I did and aggressively paid off their loans somehow feel like, Well, other people should have done that. That is not how I feel at all. I dont think we should be allowing people to get into this kind of debt. Its just outrageous and stupid. I also dont think education should be this expensive. I would love to see other peoples debt wiped out. This will 100 percent play into who I vote for. My husband and I do not pay enough in taxes. Its ridiculous. Anyone else who earns like us needs to be paying more in taxes. Rachel Johnson is a pseudonym. Naomi Watts welcomed an adorable rescue pooch named Izzy into her family this year. And on Wednesday, the Australian actress cut a colourful figure as she and her new best friend went shopping in The Hamptons. Putting safety first, Naomi, 51, sported a fabric black and white floral print face mask as she went about her errands. Girl's best friend! Naomi Watts (pictured) cut a colourful figure as she went shopping with new rescue pooch Izzy in The Hamptons on Wednesday The King Kong star looked sensational in a loose-fitting rainbow coloured striped midi dress as she enjoyed her getaway in the affluent beachside town, located not far from New York. Naomi protected her porcelain skin from the harsh summer sun by covering up with a chic wide-brimmed straw hat. She coordinated her effortlessly casual ensemble with white sandals and silver-framed sunglasses with pink lenses she slung over her bust when she wasn't wearing them. Saftey first: Naomi also sported a black and white print face mask as she ran her errands Naomi skipped the makeup and wore her shoulder-length blonde locks tied up under her hat. Little Izzy looked happy to be along for the outing, being carried by her famous owner in a sling. Naomi appeared in high spirits as she picked up several bags of shopping. The American-based star shared a number of videos and images of Izzy on Instagram when she adopted the pooch back in May. 'New family member alert with Izzy the pup,' Naomi captioned one post. She also shared a sweet video of Izzy running on the grass as the song 'Who Let The Dogs Out' by Baha Men played in the background. 'New family member alert': The American-based star shared a number of videos and images of Izzy on Instagram when she adopted the pooch in May Naomi and her ex-partner Liev Schreiber have been hunkering down together with their sons, Sasha, 12, and Kai, 11, in the Hamptons amid the coronavirus pandemic. Back in May, the family thrilled fans when they did a fun TikTok dance routine. They performed to Doja Cat's hit single Say So, as part of the viral 'He-ain't-never-seen-it-in-a-dress-like-this' challenge. Before heading to The Hamptons, Naomi, Liev and their sons had been staying in LA with Liev's model girlfriend, Taylor Neisen. Lockdown life: Naomi and her ex-partner, Liev Schreiber, have been hunkering down together with their sons, Sasha, 12, and Kai, 11, in The Hamptons amid the coronavirus pandemic. Back in May, the family thrilled fans when they did a fun TikTok dance routine (pictured) It is unclear if Taylor, 26, who was crowned Miss South Dakota in 2012, made it to The Hamptons with the family. Liev and Naomi announced their separation in September 2016, after 11 years together. In December 2016, Liev spoke about their approach to co-parenting after their split and said they would always be a family. When asked on CBS This Morning if the change in his personal life was scary, he said: 'Yeah, of course it is. 'But we're parents together so we'll be together for the rest of our lives no matter what and we're very close. Hopefully that never changes and I don't think it will.' ANSONIA Police have charged a man they say was involved in a 2015 assault and robbery in which the victim was stabbed and robbed of cash and a phone. Edward Brown, 54, of Naugatuck, is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, stemming from an assault on a 45-year-old man in Gatison Park May 9, 2015. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. It had agreeable amounts of grit and female agency, and some thoughtful and even helpful reflections on the choices that teenage girls have to make. And, alongside Deborah Foreman in the role of San Fernando Valley girl Julie Richman, there was the captivating young Nicolas Cage, whose stiff-necked vulnerability added an unexpectedly poignant layer to the character of teenage LA punk Randy. It also ensured that anyone who played Randy in a remake would be on an absolute hiding to nothing. First things first. Martha Coolidge's 1983 Valley Girl (which is also on Stan) was a terrific movie that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as all the John Hughes teen classics that followed it. It's too easy to miss brilliant streaming shows, movies and documentaries. Here are the ones to hit play on or skip. The new Valley Girl is an unrecognisable beast a fluoro-coloured jukebox musical that seems unlikely to appeal much either to those who grew up in the '80s, or to modern teenagers who have no connection to the music. Writer Amy Talkington and director Rachel Lee Goldenberg seem intent on making a cartoon caricature of the '80s, every scene crammed with garish colours and things like Sony Walkmans, Ronald Reagan masks, aerobics workout gear, E.T. dolls and MTV logos. This time around, Julie is played by Jessica Rothe (La La Land), who was about 30 at the time of filming and so isn't the most teenage-looking schoolgirl ever to hit the screen. That said, Olivia Newton-John was around 30 in Grease and Stockard Channing some years older and nobody would change that. Once again Julie is living a comfortable if stultifying life in the valley, with more set to come when she finishes high school. Enter once more Randy, this time played by English actor Josh Whitehouse (Poldark), who can play guitar but who otherwise resembles a rag doll more than an '80s punk rocker. Will they get together in the end? Place your bets now. Fans of '80s music won't enjoy their cherished tunes being churned into pap by the cast recordings, and fans of the original movie won't enjoy the counterproductive changes to the story. As India crosses the 1 million mark for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, here is the most important statistic of the diseases run through the country : at least half the 330,725 active cases in the country as of Wednesday night were reported from just 10 cities, with a third of all such cases in one state , Maharashtra. A district- and state-wise analysis of active coronavirus infections by HT shows that urban centres, or city districts, are significantly more affected by the virus and account for a majority of the active cases; just the 10 cities account of 52.7% of all active cases in the country. Active cases -- those still under treatment -- is a crucial metric because it directly reflects the pressure on the health care system in any region. It is calculated by subtracting the number of recovered patients and deaths from the total tally. As of Wednesday night, of the 968,405 total Covid-19 cases reported in the country, 330,725 (34.2%) were active, according to HTs Covid-19 dashboard. To be sure, most states do not release city-specific data, so the analysis has relied on district-wise numbers from states to zero in on the worst-hit cities in the country. Among the 10 districts with the highest number of active cases, eight are city-districts or districts that constitute a single city. Most major metropolitan cities in the country are districts among themselves (with the exception of Delhi, which consists of 11 revenue districts). Raigad (5,192 active cases) and Palghar (4,916 active cases), both in Maharashtra, are the only two districts in the top 10 that are not entirely urban. Three of the five worst-hit cities in terms of the total number of active cases are in Maharashtra (Chart 1), a fact that highlights the overwhelming numbers emerging from the spread of the virus in the western Indian state. Thane has 34,721 active cases the highest in the country with Pune at the third spot with 25,510 active cases and Mumbai at the fourth spot with 22,888 active infections. Hyderabad, which has the second highest number of active cases in the country, appears with stand-out numbers with nearly 99% (28,783) of the 29,111 cases reported in the city currently active -- a clear indication of how things have suddenly turned bad for the southern city. Among the top 10 cities based on active cases, Delhi has the lowest proportion of active cases 15.2% followed closely by Ahmedabad (at 10th spot) with 15.4% of cases active. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage In terms of states, Maharashtra continues to have the highest number of active cases with 112,099 active infections (40.7% of the total Covid-19 cases in the state) as of Wednesday. This means one-third of all active cases in the country are in Maharashtra, which is not surprising as it is the state with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths and accounts for 28% of all cases in the country. For perspective on the high active case count in Maharashtra, the state has more active cases than the combined total of such cases in the next four states on the list Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka and Gujarat. Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that taking cognisance of the lack of availability of beds, especially ICU beds in some cities in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) the state has ramped up health infrastructure to deal with this rise in active cases. With the help of community participation and new interventions like antigen tests involving private doctors, the state will contain the spread in MMR and other parts of the state too. Dr Avinash Supe, former dean of Mumbai-based KEM hospital and member of the expert committee appointed by the state to recommend steps to curb the spread, said that he expects active cases to come down in a few weeks. Comparing the total number of cases in the country, Maharashtras share has come down drastically; it used to be almost half one point of time. Its now less than a third of the national total. Even Mumbais number of active cases has improved in the last few weeks and we expect it to come down to 15000 in the next couple of weeks, he said. With 59% of all cases active, Karnataka has the highest proportion of active cases to the total caseload. The state, which on Tuesday replaced Gujarat as the fourth worst-hit state in the country, has seen a sharp rise in cases over the past two weeks. This recent spike in cases in the state is also responsible for the high number of active cases with two-thirds of its caseload appearing in just the last two weeks, the states recoveries are yet to catch up. This trend of states with fast-rising caseloads having a high proportion of active cases is also visible in other states such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal (Chart 2) all of them have a higher proportion of active cases than the national average (34.2%). With inputs from Surendra P Gangan in Mumbai SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nairobi The Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC) on Wednesday arrested two Former Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) officials, over irregular payment of Sh30 million for three transformers which were never installed. EACC Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak said former KPC Chief Manager-Technical Elias Maina Karumi and Former Chief Electrical Engineer Josphat Kipkoech Sirma will be arraigned in court on Thursday. The search for the former KPC Managing Director Charles Kiprotich Tanui was also intensified with Mbarak urging him to present himself at the commission offices at Integrity Centre. They are accused of abuse of office, making a false document and willful failure to comply with law relating to procurement. "The EACC established that a total Sh30 million was paid to M/s Redline Limited using false documents whereas the items were never installed, tested or commissioned as per the contract agreement," Mbarak said. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Mrs Joy Nunieh, former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Interim Management Committee, has de... Mrs Joy Nunieh, former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Interim Management Committee, has declared that she will consider exposing the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio. Nunieh said she will not stop telling Nigerians about the activities in the NDDC, adding that Akpabio cannot kill her. The ex-MD stated this on Thursday in an interview with reporters at the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt after Governor Nyesom Wike rescued her from a Police siege at her residence. She said she was safe at the Government House, accusing Akpobio of trying to use security operatives to stop her from giving her submission before the House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC. She stated I was supposed to be going today to Abuja to make my submission before the House of Representatives Committee. Im sure its about that. Meanwhile, the man that harassed me is at home. The man who stole the money is at home. The man who stole government funds is at home. The man who took government money is at home. The man who said I should go and take an oath is at home. It is a criminal offence. It is life imprisonment to take an oath, to even offer me an oath is liable. So, I am here. I feel very safe in the Government House. I am safe here. Akpabio cant kill me. He cant. I am not from Uyo. He cant kill me. And why do people think he has a monopoly of violence? Recall that Governor Wike had moved Nunieh out of her residence to Government House Port Harcourt on Thursday. Officers of the Nigerian police had stormed the home of Mrs. Nunieh at 3, Owuru Creek view, off Herbert Macaulay Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt. Wikes visit was predicated by the invasion of the residence of Nunieh by the police. By Express News Service SIDDIPET: Finance Minister T Harish Rao inaugurated a 100-bed COVID hospital here at Siddipet on Wednesday. He said that the government has been providing good medical services to COVID-19 patients at government hospitals and institutions. The Minister inspected the isolation wards and spoke to the doctors about the treatment being accorded to the patients. He also inquired about the energy drinks which will be given to the patients and its usage. Stating that 20 out of the 100 beds would be Intensive Care Units (ICU), the Minister said that every bed in the hospital would have oxygen supply facility and that only one person would be kept in each block. He said that patients suffering from mild COVID-19 symptoms would be shifted to the 100-bed isolation facility, where they would be provided the necessary treatment. "The government has already appointed 28 doctors and 150 nurses exclusively for the isolation block," he added. He further said that people who test positive, but do not have symptoms, will be advised to stay under home quarantine. However, the Minister clarified that people suffering from serious symptoms such as breathlessness will be shifted to Osmania or Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. He called upon the people to extend moral support to doctors, nurses and sanitation staff. Zilla Parishad Chairperson, V Roja Sharma, MLC Farooq Hussain and others were also present. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the United States will support countries that believe China has violated their maritime claims in the East Vietnam Sea but suggested it would do so through diplomatic rather than military means. We will support countries all across the world who recognize that China has violated their legal territorial claims as well or maritime claims as well, Pompeo told reporters. We will go provide them the assistance we can, whether thats in multilateral bodies, whether thats in ASEAN, whether thats through legal responses, we will use all the tools we can, he said at a news conference, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The United States on Monday rejected Chinas claims to offshore resources in most of the East Vietnam Sea, drawing criticism from China which said the U.S. position raised tension in the region, highlighting an increasingly testy relationship. Mondays statement reflected the first time the United States had taken the position that Chinas claims to the East Vietnam Sea were completely unlawful. The United States has long opposed Chinas expansive territorial claims on the East Vietnam Sea, sending warships regularly through the strategic waterway to demonstrate freedom of navigation there. Mondays comments reflect a harsher tone. China claims 90% of the potentially energy-rich East Vietnam Sea, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it. On Wednesday, Vietnams foreign ministry spokeswoman, Le Thi Thu Hang, said in response to the hardened U.S. rhetoric on the region that Vietnam welcomed any views on the East Vietnam Sea that were in accordance with international law. Peace, stability, cooperation and development in the [East Vietnam Sea] are the common aspirations and goals of countries in the region and the international community. A young mother-of-two has shared a candid picture of herself cradling her newborn son just moments after giving birth to him on the bathroom floor. Vanessa Jeffery, from Brisbane, delivered her baby boy Nathaniel at 1.10am on Saturday, June 27 in an unplanned birth at home. The 32-year-old teacher had planned a vaginal birth in hospital after delivering her firstborn via C-section with the support of her doula Selena Rollason. But after enduring hours of labour with mild contractions, little Nathaniel couldn't wait any longer and arrived unexpectedly into the hands of the doula - as his doting father Chris rushed to get towels. 'While I was labouring quite calmly, Selena and my husband were getting things ready to move to hospital but when they came to get me, I realised the baby was making a much quicker entrance into the world,' Vanessa told Daily Mail Australia. 'He ended up being born in the bathroom. That's where I had been the most comfortable in the last stages of labour.' Mother-of-two Vanessa Jeffery pictured cradling her newborn son Nathaniel just moments after giving birth to him on the bathroom floor The 32-year-old teacher was taken to hospital by a paramedic after she delivered her son unexpectedly at home (pictured on a stretcher, next to her husband Chris with their newborn) Vanessa and newborn son Nathaniel were taken to the hospital for a check-up overnight 'I was always planning a VBAC [vaginal birth after Caesaraen] for my birth with this baby and I had planned to labour at home, however giving birth at home was not part of the plan. He just came much more quickly than any of us expected.' Before the dramatic birth, Vanessa was experiencing 'inconsistent' contractions. 'I had been in early labour with mild contractions most of Friday. I had been checking in with Selena regularly during the day as I had hired her as my doula,' she said. 'As things intensified later in the evening Selena came over to be a more active support person.' Had we of moved her 20 minutes earlier there is no question about it, she would have delivered the baby in the car. The contractions were slowly building for hours but the plan for the expectant mother was to labour at home until she felt ready to head to the hospital. But things quickly took a surprising turn when her baby's head was coming out despite her waters never breaking until the delivery. 'At first it was pure disbelief. I thought I still had hours of active labour to get through,' Vanessa said. The mother yelled out from the bathroom: 'Selena I think my water sac is coming out', and as the doula rushed over, she could see the boy's head being born, 'still fully encased in the membranes and waters'. Her husband Chris returned with the towels, and placed them beneath Vanessa, and within minutes, she delivered her baby safely into the doula's hands. Selena handed Nathaniel into the waiting arms of his mum where he 'cried straight away' - as the paramedics were called to the home post-birth as a precaution. Selena handed Nathaniel into the waiting arms of his mum where he 'cried straight away' Hello! Baby Nathaniel couldn't wait any longer and arrived unexpectedly at his family home The paramedics were called to the home post-birth as a precaution as the mother and newborn son were taken to hospital for a check-up 'My mind was very quiet when I got to hold my baby for the first time. It was much more emotional and instinctual than I could have imagined,' Vanessa said. 'Once he was in my arms, I felt that instantaneous bond and love for my baby with a huge sense of accomplishment with what we had achieved. 'The hospital system makes you fight every inch of the way to be able to birth the way our bodies are made to, especially after a cesarean section. This is my little piece of proof that women's bodies are amazing. 'It was the most calm beautiful birth and that's what I was aiming for and why I had asked Selena to be my doula as she helped me achieve that.' The mother and newborn were taken to the hospital for a check-up overnight - and the family were home and settled within 24 hours. Selena, who's a birth photographer, quickly captured the beautiful moment on camera showing the mother looking overjoyed as she held her newborn just moments after birth. 'I still can't quite believe how it all unfolded,' Vanessa said. 'I'm immensely proud of all of us. I'll cherish that photo and that memory for the rest of my life. I'm so grateful to have had Selena there.' The 32-year-old smiling with her adorable baby in her arms after his unplanned home birth Happy family! Husband Chris and wife Vanessa creating beautiful memories with Nathaniel Selena, a certified doula and a VBAC mother, said when she was observing the pregnant mother at home, she noticed the common signs of imminent birth had not yet presented. 'Her waters had not ruptured and behaviourally (and physically), she wasn't showing many of the normal signs that come with being close to delivering the baby,' Selena told Daily Mail Australia. 'I gave her the option at the time to head to the hospital or stay at home and wait it out. She chose to stay home and wait it out. And to be honest, it's a good thing she did. Within 20 minutes of that discussion, she was giving birth. 'Had we of moved her 20 minutes earlier there is no question about it, she would have delivered the baby in the car, in what would have been so much more of a stressful and unmanaged situation. After the mother delivered her baby 'perfectly', Selena captured the raw moment. 'To be honest, I don't even remember what it was like capturing this moment on camera because I was so blown away with being the one to deliver the baby. It all happened so fast and it was a few minutes - and a washing of the arms - before I even thought to take a photo.' she said. 'For me though, capturing this moment wasn't even the best part. The best part was actually catching the baby in my own hands as Vanessa delivered him on the bathroom floor. Nathaniel was born fully in the sac, which ruptured on delivery.' Doula and birth photographer Selena Rollason pictured with baby boy Nathaniel after she helped his mother Vanessa deliver him in an unplanned birth at home During the delivery, the quick-thinking doula sprung into action. 'I was completely calm. At no point did I feel scared or anxious, instinct and experience kicked in and I just instinctively knew what to do. There was no time to even ring paramedics, baby was coming and coming fast,' Selena said. 'I feel proud of Vanessa for trusting her body and happy for her to have had such a wonderful outcome. This image will always be very special to me and a reminder of the strength and courage that women have during birth. It will forever be a reminder that we are the own authors of our stories.' After sharing her powerful picture on her Brisbane Birth Photography Facebook page, she was met with a 'fabulous' and 'wonderful' response. 'There is always the risk that people will judge because they don't understand the full story, and it is extremely upsetting for everyone when they do that,' she said. 'But in this case it was a fabulous response. It is such a heartwarming story to share amongst all the challenges in the world right now so people jumped on the beauty and positivity of this moment.' Selena said as she laughed: 'As a doula I do not wish to make a habit of catching babies unexpectedly at home, I'd rather leave that to the midwives.' Shareholders of Jaiz Bank Plc are to receive a total of N884 million dividend payment subjected to appropriate withholding tax. The Chairman of the Bank Umaru Mutallab disclosed this at the 8th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the bank held via webinar on Thursday. Mr Mutallab said the premier non-interest bank had approved the Banks proposed first dividend payment of N0.03 kobo per 50 kobo ordinary share for the year ended 2019. This dividend despite being modest signifies a lot to our Shareholders, Board and Management. We remain strongly committed to sustaining the tempo in the coming year, Gods willing Mr Mutallab said. He stated that the payment will be made electronically to shareholders whose names appear in the Register of Members as at June 26. He said they must have completed the e-dividend registration and will have mandated the registrar to pay their dividends directly into their bank accounts. The Bank declared a Profit after Tax of N2.4billion in its audited financial results for the year 2019, showing a surge of 193 percent from N834.4million recorded in the corresponding period of 2018. The Bank also declared a 135 percentage increase in profit before tax for the period under review from N879.7million recorded in 2018 to N2.1 billion as at 2019. Highlights of the audited financial statement showed that Gross Income grew by 80 per cent to N13.5billion in 2019, from N7.5billion recorded in 2018, while Total Assets gained 54 per cent to N167.27 billion in 2019 from N108.46 billion recorded in 2018. In his remarks, the Managing Director, Hassan Usman, said the progress the Bank recorded in 2019 was broad-based, apart from stronger Income Statement and Balance Sheet. He said they had also tackled the banks efficiency base, with the consequent reduction in its Cost-Income-Ratio (CIR) from 87.28 per cent in 2018 to 80.21 per cent in 2019. He said the bank delivered stronger Return on Equity (RoE) of 13.57 per cent during the year, a significant increase of over 100 per cent when compared with that of 2018. He said the bank is strongly committed towards creating optimum value to all its stakeholders. (NAN) DERBY Kellogg Environmental Center offers a webinar, The Eastern Coyote, July 23, 3 p.m. Registration required. For information e-mail susan.quincy@ct.gov Kellogg Environmental Center free webinar, Monitoring Monarchs Larvae Project, July 25, 10 a.m. Registration required. susan.quincy @ct.gov EAST HADDAM Goodspeed Musicals I'll Drink to That Instagram live Mondays 5 p.m.; Greatspeed, relive some of the theaters greatest moments with special guests, Tuesdays, 5 p.m., on Zoom; In the Spotlight podcast every other Wednesday; Home Office, for fans of new musicals, Thursdays, 5 p.m., on Zoom. gooodspeed.org ESSEX Connecticut River Museum is open. Events and programming can be found at ctrivermuseum.org Essex Art Associations virtual exhibit, Art in Isolation, on view. Submissions on a rolling basis accepted. essexartassociation.com Spectrum Art Gallery is open. Summer Gallery Show: Resurgence and Regrowth, Through Sept. 6. Summer Gallery hours: Thu-Sat noon-6 p.m.; Sun noon-5 p.m. 860-767-0742, spectrumartgallery.org IVORYTON Ivoryton Playhouse announces its Ivoryton Women Playwrights Festival. Submissions of one-act plays by women playwrights will be accepted by e-mail only until Aug. 30. jhubbard@ivorytonplayhouse.org. KILLINGWORTH Spectrum Gallerys Classes and Workshops online: Storytelling with Collage, July 29, Aug. 5, 12:30-2:30 p.m. $120. Make-up class Aug. 12. $120; The Art of Writing Poems about Art. Steven Ostrowski, July 13, 20, 6-7:30 p.m. $80 includes both sessions. spectrumartgallery.org LITCHFIELD Litchfield Jazz Camp, Virtually Yours, July 20-24. Classes will run every other hour from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. to allow for food and exercise breaks. Registrants can join for one or both. Camp culminates in a free live-streamed Litchfield Jazz Festival, July 25. 860-361-6285, litchfieldjazzcamp.com MADISON Virtual Author events hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers on Zoom: Our Revolution: A Mother and Daughter at Midcentury by Honor Moore, July 23, 4 p.m.; Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace by Carl Safina, July 28, 7 p.m.; Summer to Summer: Houses by the Sea by Jennifer Ash Rudick, July 29, 4 p.m. Register. 203-245-3959, rjjulia.com Susan Powell Fine Art is open to the public with guidelines. Summer in New England, through Sept. 26. 203-318-0616, susanpowellfineart.com MASHANTUCKET Foxwoods Resort and Casino is partially re-open with restrictions and limitations. Visit website for whats open and for updates. foxwoods.com MIDDLETOWN Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and Children's Circus of Middletown present a completely digital circus, From the BIG TOP to the LAPTOP, through Aug. 7, Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For ages 5-15. Explore circus arts, dance, capoeira, fitness, digital animation, visual art, and more. The program is free, but registration required. oddfellows.org, 860-347-6143, e-mail circus@oddfellows.org. MILFORD Milford Arts Center, 40 Railroad Ave. offers online classes in Tap, Tango, Nia, bodyArt, and Dance Exercise, through July 31. Prices vary. 203-878-6674, milfordarts.org The MAC: Recreated, a slate of online and outdoor events. milfordarts.org Arts Council offers Artist to Artist, via Zoom, through July 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Donations welcome. Color Exhibit: Red, virtual exhibit through July 30. visualarts@milfordarts.org NEW HAVEN New Haven Symphony Orchestra presents Alternative Programming online and social media: Christmas in July, through July 31; HomeCooked Music Festival, Aug. 1-8; NHSO @Home Series: NHSO musicians and guest artists perform music from home; Instrument Selection Resource Center; and Listen Up! Podcast Series. newhavensymphony.org New Haven Museum: Documenting the COVID-19 Crisis, an effort to collect stories and photos of life in New Haven during the coronavirus quarantine. Also virtual offerings. newhavenmuseum.org Beinecke Library at Yale University digital exhibits: Carl Van Vechtens Harlem Renaissance Portraits, America and the Utopian Dream, Making the Medieval English Manuscript. beinecke.library.yale.edu SalonThrive with Liz Antle-O'Donnell, a virtual gathering place for art discussion and discovery, hosted by Kehler Liddell Gallery, and ArtEcon Initiative on Zoom, July 26, 5 p.m. Each episode features a different local Connecticut-based artist host, broadcasting live from their studio. Registration required. 203-389-9555, kehlerliddellgallery.com Seeing Nature Through Art, exhibit features 30 works of art created by the instructors of Yale Peabody Museums Natural Science Illustration Program, is now online. peabody.yale.edu City Gallery re-opens with a Photo Exhibit by Joy Bush, Where I Go Is What I See. Runs through Aug. 1. The Gallery is located at 994 State St. Free. 203-782-2489, city-gallery.org NORFOLK Norfolk Chamber Music Festival will stream via website, Facebook and YouTube, four new concerts performed at the historic shed. All concerts begin 7 p.m. Alumni from Norfolk Chamber Music Festival return to perform, July 25. norfolkmusic.org ORANGE Historical Societys Academy Museum and Antique Shop located at 605 Orange Center Road, is open for business Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Masks required. 203-795-3106. SHELTON Comedy Club with Stefano Sanzo, Sam Hunter, Dan Kalwhite and Pat Oats, Center Stage Theatres outdoor stage, July 24, 6-8 p.m. $20. Reservations required. Seating is limited to comply with social distancing regulations, and masks required. Phone: 203-225-6079, centerstageshelton.org STRATFORD Library offers Books Over Coffee online with This is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel, July 29, noon-1 p.m. 203-385-4164, stratfordlibrary.org Summer Concert Series takes place at Paradise Green, Tuesdays and Fridays, 7 p.m. Some concerts have rain dates. townofstratford.com Music at Outriggers Restaurant: Dawn & Greg, July 24, 25, 31; Mile LoGuidice, July 26. Showtime is 5:30-9 p.m. Weather permitting on the outside patio, social distancing will be followed. New England Guitar Society, virtual concert hosted by Stratford Library on Zoom, July 25, 2 p.m. Free. 203-385-4162 Register at stratfordlibrary.libcal.com National Helicopter Museum located at the Stratford Railroad Station (east bound) is open by appointment only. Masks and social distancing required. 203-375-8857 to schedule a visit. Free admission and parking. TRUMBULL Milford Concert Band, July 27 (no rain date); What It Is, July 28, (rain date July 30), Town Hall Green, Main St. All concerts are 7-8:30 p.m. Social distancing and masks required. 203-452-5060, trumbull-ct.gov UNCASVILLE Orlando Baxter, Comix Roadhouse at Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. July 23, 8 p.m.; July 24, 7:30 p.m.; July 25, 7, 9:30 p.m. $45-$15. comixroadhouse.com mohegansun.com Bellator MMA: Bandejas vs. Pettis returns to live action, Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. July 24, 10 p.m. 1-888-226-7711, mohegansun.com In the wake of the United Kingdoms move to ban Huawei from the countrys 5G infrastructure, pressure is mounting on Canada to take a decision that observers say will either distance it from longtime allies or risk further eroding its relationship with China. Ottawa is expected to make a call on the Chinese telecom giants involvement in 5G this year. The decision has been further framed this week by the U.K. ban, which leaves Canada as one of last two nations in the Five Eyes security alliance also comprised of the United States, the U.K., Australia not to have banned Huawei from 5G projects over security concerns. New Zealand has previously rejected the companys involvement in 5G in a move many say is effectively banning them, but said Wednesday it will not impose blanket bans and instead decide on a case-by-case basis. The Five Eyes is taking a pretty united decision on Huawei and the security risks and the implications of any Huawei decision, says Sam Armstrong, spokesperson for the newly formed Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. IPAC is an international consortium of parliamentarians concerned about Beijings actions globally. Armstrong said Canadas silence on Huawei is likely being welcomed by China as it seeks to divide the Five Eyes alliance. I have no doubt that on telecommunications, like every other issue, China is rubbing its mitts at the very prospect that the Five Eyes might not be united, he said. A united allied free world is Chinas worst nightmare. A divided Five Eyes is its dream come true. The Star is offering free digital access on select COVID-19 stories. Misinformation is plentiful and dangerous and coronavirus news and knowledge evolves. Star reporters are working to bring you clarity, context and responsible facts. To help you get the information you need, articles that provide a public service will live outside our paywall. Last fall, at a security conference in Halifax the national security adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump warned Canada not to approve the company because its technology would be used as a Trojan horse against democracy. Robert C. OBrien warned Chinas government could even use the technology to undermine Canadian elections. Chinas ambassador to Canada has denied those allegations. In May, the U.S. banned Huawei from sourcing microchips that use U.S. technology, a move that forced British officials to reassess their view of the security and sustainability of using the companys equipment in 5G networks. The U.K.s National Cyber Security Centre led a review that concluded the new U.S. sanctions meant Huawei would have to use potentially insecure technology, making 5G security risks impossible to control. If Canada goes a different route and accepts Huawei, the country risks alienating itself from allies in the Five Eyes, says retired Brig.-Gen. Robert Spalding, a China analyst and author of the book Stealth War, which examines Chinas attempts to influence and control the world. Their access to intelligence sharing and other things with the Five Eyes will be restricted, Spalding said of Canada. A more expansive relationship is going to be out of the question. Spalding said cross-border communications between Canada and the U.S. could also be affected due to integration concerns around Huawei and U.S. networks. If Ottawa approved Huawei, Spalding said, one of the biggest gains for Canada would simply be the admiration of the Chinese Communist Party. It would also open up Canada to intelligence gathering of its citizens and risks the countrys independence and sovereignty, he said. Last month, two of Canadas major telecommunications companies, Bell and Telus, which at one time were intending to use Huawei for their 5G equipment, announced contracts with other companies. Compounded, this means Ottawa now has a stronger case to similarly ban Huaweis involvement in 5G on security grounds, Christopher Parsons, a senior research associate at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, told the Star. Complicating Canadas situation is the state of its relationship with Beijing and a set of circumstances that differentiates this country from the U.K. The U.K is concerned Huawei may have to rely on less technologically advanced and secure products. Canada can say the same, but this doesnt change the fact China is holding Canadians hostage and is also one of our largest trading partners, Parsons said. Whether the Canadian government thinks it can afford to articulate its concerns about Huaweis security as loudly as the U.K is the difference, he said. The detentions of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in China have been widely described as direct retaliation for this countrys arrest in December 2018 of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. Meng was arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities seeking her extradition to face fraud charges, starting a downward spiral of China-Canada relations. China has hinted it would release the men if Meng is released. Since Canadian authorities arrested Wanzhou, Huawei has pursued a public relations strategy of distancing itself from Beijing and providing more transparency about its business. But, experts say Huaweis noticeably greater transparency hasnt done much for its international image, since in many countries, the company has become emblematic of anxieties about Chinas rise as an authoritarian superpower. In a statement to the Star on Wednesday, Huawei Canadas vice-president of corporate affairs said the U.K. decision will not change the companys goals in Canada. We support and respect the Canadian governments review of 5G suppliers and we look forward to the government reaching an independent, evident-based conclusion regarding Huaweis potential role in 5G in Canada, Alykhan Velshi wrote in an email. He noted Huawei has a diversified business model in the country. Its not just selling network equipment. We also sell consumer devices such as smartphones, sell fixed wireless equipment to rural telecom carriers and fund world-class research and development, he said. In recent months, Huawei has been shifting its research and development centre from the United States to Canada. This means the company will hire hundreds of local staff and invest hundreds of millions on research funding on top of its existing collaborations with Canadian universities. Ultimately, Huawei has established research and development operations here in Canada because of the tremendous expertise and knowledge that exists here, Velshi said. The company spent nearly $200 million in Canada in 2019, and this year, that amount will be higher, he said. And compared to 540 R&D employees Huawei Canada employed in 2018, it now employs approximately 800. Parsons said this greater influx of jobs and money into Canada could give Beijing more leverage on Ottawa by threatening they could force Huawei to pull out of the country. Parsons also cautioned that Canadas cybersecurity strategy should not stop at finally making a decision on whether to ban Huaweis involvement in 5G development. Hacking isnt going to stop if Huawei stops making our network equipment. Thats why its so important to develop a robust cybersecurity strategy to protect Canadians, and not just an anti-Huawei system, he said. Correction July 16, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Canada is the last nation in the Five Eyes security alliance to ban Huaweis involvement in 5G infrastructure development. In fact, New Zealand has said it will not impose blanket bans and instead decide on a case-by-case basis. With files from Bloomberg and The Canadian Press Joanna Chiu is a Vancouver-based reporter covering both Canada-China relations and current affairs on the West Coast for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @joannachiu Read more about: The massive drive-in at Six Flags Fiesta Texas is extending its stay in San Antonio, adding new flicks and promotions to its schedule. Los Angeles-based Rooftop Cinema Club announced in a news release Wednesday that it will continue to run its pop-up business venture until Aug. 2. The drive-in was originally scheduled to end its stint on July 5, according to a previous press release. The company, which is known for its unique rooftop venues and movie-watching experiences, told mySA.com it will keep screening movies as long as the city continues to show interest in the drive-in that is located in the parking lot of Six Flags at 17000 W. Interstate 10. READ ALSO: 'Breakfast Club' star Anthony Michael Hall to host drive-in movie festival at EVO Entertainment theaters in Schertz, Kyle With the extension, Rooftop Cinema Club is adding some new films to its lineup such as "Selena," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Wizard of Oz." The company is also including $20 tickets per vehicle for its new "Late Night Date Night" promotion and is offering a 15 percent discount to military members. Click here to purchase. Regular tickets are priced at $24 or $32 per vehicle, depending on seating preference. Guests have the option to bring their own snacks or purchase food from the drive-in's on-site concession stand. The company also has $5 "Community Screenings" every first Tuesday of each week, in which 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the San Antonio Food Bank and to Black Lives Matter organizations. The company diverted its cinema plans to drive-ins due to the coronavirus pandemic. In Texas, it has two drive-ins in Houston and one in San Antonio. Scroll below for Rooftop Cinema Club's summer lineup in San Antonio and photos from one of the earlier screenings at the pop-up drive-in at Fiesta Texas. Like other states across the country, Maine is grappling with the new coronavirus outbreak, impending elections, and an economic downturn, but those challenges did not stop Governor Janet Mills from taking a momenta day, in factto celebrate the work of author-illustrator Ashley Bryan. Earlier this week, Mills issued a proclamation declaring July 13 Ashley Bryan Day in honor of the 97-year-olds canon of more than 50 books, including his recent WWII memoir, Infinite Hope, Beautiful Blackbird, and Freedom Over Me. Through his art, Mr. Bryan has illuminated the African American experience and cultural heritage for which he has been recognized by universities and institutions internationally, and continues to pave the way for Black writers and illustrators, creating opportunities for greater diversity in the world of childrens literature, Mills said in her proclamation. Bryan was born to Antiguan immigrant parents and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later taught at Dartmouth College and moved to Maine, where he has lived for the last 60 years. It means the world to me to have my work recognized in my home state, and across the country in this manner, Bryan told PW. It's a tremendous honor, and will help get more books to the children, for whom I do all of my work. At Devaney, Doak, and Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, owner Kenny Brechner praised the announcement. Im so pleased to see a store favorite become a state favorite, Brechner said. Who could be worthier of being honored than the sublime Ashley Bryan, an artist and author who has brought so much richness and depth to his readers lives? Bryans works have garnered multiple Coretta Scott King Awards, and Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life received the Newbery Honor in 2017. Bryan has been a longtime advocate for public art, education, and storytelling from South Africa and Kenya to the Isleford area of northeastern Maine that he first visited in 1946. Bryans editor Caitlyn Dlouhy, v-p and editorial director at Atheneums Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, called Bryan a national treasure and said she hopes the states recognition is the first of 50. One of the greatest honors of my career has been working alongside Ashley, she said. He never ever stops being creativehe was on his porch filling a huge canvas with massive oil painted flowers just the other week. What Ashley creates, from books to sculpture to stained glass window, are gifts to the world that come straight from the heart, that speak to others hearts, and that can only help us all grow in our humanity. And with this recognition, our great hope and dream is that more of the world will now also learn of Ashley and his books, and that growth blooms. With all of the challenges young people are facing right now, Bryan encouraged them to turn to art. As Ive written in Infinite Hope, about my time during World War II in France on D-Day, the arts give meaning to all of our lives, he said. So: paint! Draw! Write! Sing! Dance! Whistle! Make music! Practice your art every day! No one can take creativity away from you, and the joy that comes from it can help anyone through the darker times, for with creation, there is always hope. 100 Years Ago 1920: Mystery surrounds the shattering of a $100,000 necklace by a bullet fired into the package in which it was received at the Radnor home of Gurnee Munn. Who fired the bullet, when it was fired, and the reason for the vandalism are a puzzle to the police of Philadelphia and New York, who are making an investigation after its express shipping from Tiffany & Co. The damage to the necklace is estimated at between $3,000 and $5,000. Several of the largest stones of the necklace, a family heirloom in the Munn family, were broken to small pieces. 75 Years Ago 1945: Reece L. Thomas, 93, who retired from the First National Bank in 1937 after serving that institution with distinction for 55 years, died Sunday at his home, 1149 Potter St., after an illness of several months. With his passing Chester loses another link with the courtly old school gentlemen. Old residents will remember his serene and unhurried helpfulness which distinguished his contacts with the public at the institution which he joined in 1882, about 18 years after its founding. 50 Years Ago 1970: Crozer-Chester Medical Center is negotiating for the purchase of the Crozer Theological Seminary property adjacent to the center on Upland Avenue. However, there are others interested in the 40-acre site and nothing has been dedicated, a hospital spokesman said. The seminary announced plans in May to consolidate with the Rochester Theological Seminary in Rochester, N.Y. 25 Years Ago 1995: A historic home which overlooks the once-bustling mill town of Lenni will be restored to its 1799 appearance by Ed Westlake, owner of Westlake Plastics. We hope to have a showplace, Westlake told Chester Heights Borough Council last month when requesting assistance with his project on the so-called Lundgren House at New Street and Lenni Road. Council agreed to Westlakes request to permit the old house the front of which now houses Westlake to tie into Aston Townships public sewers. 10 Years Ago 2010: As Chesters state of emergency comes to a close a week from today, Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr. said he will never stop his push against violence. Whether Im the mayor or not, Im going to be here with you, the city-bred, police-officer-turned-politician told a crowd of about 200 at the Mayors Anti-Violence Night Out. Anything that can help to open the lines of communication between the community and the police is a good thing, said Magisterial District Judge Robert Blythe, who served on the police force for 32 years before joining the bench five years ago. COLIN AINSWORTH By PTI NEW DELHI: Over 6.87 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The fourth phase of the Vande Bharat mission, which is currently underway, has been augmented with the addition of around 120 flights between July 15-31, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing. "These additional flights will cater to the demand for repatriation from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Europe, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine," Srivastava said. With this augmentation, this phase now has 751 international flights catering to 34 airports in India, he said. "If feeder flights to different states are included, there would be a total of 926 flights under the fourth phase. These include around 180 flights by Indian private carriers IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet," Srivastava said. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES "As of 15th July, 6,87,467 Indian nationals have returned. 1,01,014 nationals have returned from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh by land borders. The number of returnees by Indian naval ships from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran stands at 3,789," the MEA Spokesperson said. The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday announced that they would be starting bilateral air bubbles between India and the US, Germany, France and the UAE, Srivastava said. This will allow airlines of both sides to carry passengers to each other under defined conditions, he said. Some of these air bubbles have been finalised, while others are under negotiation, he added. "This would help movement of people between these countries and India till international air travel is restored to normalcy," the MEA Spokesperson said. The ministry is in regular contact with India's missions and posts abroad to monitor the demand of repatriation of stranded Indians and for arranging Vande Bharat Mission flights as required, Srivastava said, adding that it was doing this in discussion with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The first phase of the mission was carried out from May 7 to 15. The second phase of the evacuation mission was scheduled from May 17 to 22. However, the government had extended it till June 10. The third phase of the evacuation exercise was scheduled from June 11 to July 2. Currently, the fourth phase of the evacuation mission is going on. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks to the media during a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on April 27, 2020. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Georgia Governor Bars Cities, Counties From Requiring Masks Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on July 15 overrode more than a dozen local orders requiring masks to be worn in public. In a new executive order, the Republican said that any laws, orders, rules, or regulations requiring people to wear face coverings of masks in public are suspended. Georgia residents are strongly encouraged, but not required, to wear face coverings while outside their homes, the order states. A number of counties and cities in the state had required people to wear masks. Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Kemp, highlighted the part of the new order that states no local laws can be more or less restrictive than state mandates. Spectators in masks look on during the DraftKings All-American Team Cup in Atlanta on July 4, 2020. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) We have explained that local mask mandates are unenforceable. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public, she said in a statement. Kemp announced the order late July 15, writing on Twitter that his new mandate extends the gatherings ban of more than 50 people, renews business restrictions, protects the medically fragile, and strongly encourages Georgians to wear masks in public. Local officials expressed anger over the order. It is officially official. Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, a Democrat who issued an order requiring masks in public, wrote on Twitter on July 15. Every man and woman for himself/herself. Ignore the science and survive the best you can. Athens-Clarke County Mayor Pro-Tempore Russell Edwards, a Democrat, called the new order an example of sociopathic disregard. Quite a time thumbing through the thesaurus to describe this malignant Governor and his abominable actions, he wrote on Twitter. Kemp has encouraged state residents to wear masks and regularly dons one while in public. Some public health officials say wearing masks helps stop the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19. Critics say there isnt enough evidence to force people to wear masks. A man wears a mask as he arrives at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on April 23, 2020. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images) Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, ordered residents last week to wear masks in public. She wrote at the time that Kemps June executive order didnt contain a requirement or prohibition concerning the use of masks or face coverings, meaning her order didnt conflict with his mandate. Exemptions were outlined for people eating and drinking, driving, swimming, and other activities. Children under 10 were also exempt. Like most mask orders, Bottomss didnt contain details about how the requirements would be enforced. Some areas have threatened fines if people dont comply. In a statement after the Atlanta order, Kemps office called all local mandates unenforceable. We continue to encourage Georgians to do the right thing and wear a mask voluntarily. If the Mayor wants to flatten the curve in Atlanta, she should start enforcing the current provisions of the Governors orders, the statement read. The governor said in June that a statewide order would be a bridge too far. Theres some people that just do not want to wear a mask. Im sensitive to that from a political environment of having people buy into that and creating other issues out there, he said. But its definitely a good idea. The Acting Managing Director of The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Daniel Pondei, has led a walk out on the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta. Mr Pondei, who appeared with other management staff of the commission, accused the chairman of the house committee on NDDC, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of corruption. He said because of that, his team will not speak before the committee. We are not comfortable with the chairman of this committee presiding over a matter he has been accused of. He asked the committee chairman to recuse himself from the investigation. There is no point of order here. As long as he is the chairman of this committee, the NDDC will not make any presentation here, he said. When lawmakers intervened and told the NDDC team that nobody could decide its modus operandi, the NDDC management staged a walk out. The house is conducting an investigative hearing on the alleged financial malfeasance and other activities in the NDDC. In May, a group accused Mr Tunji-Ojo of having benefited from award of contracts in the commission The lawmaker described the allegations as shameful and baseless. In a statement, the lawmaker described a newspaper publication attributed to some inconsequential groups claiming he was awarded a 17 km road contract as smear campaign. Mr Tunji-Ojo represents Akoko North East/ West Federal Constituency of Ondo state. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how an ex-managing director of the NDDC, Joy Nunieh, raise alarm that her home in Port Harcourt had been surrounded by armed police officers and therefore she would not be able to travel to Abuja to appear before the lawmakers. Ms Nunieh has accused the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, of corruption in the management of the NDDC, an allegation the minister has denied. Read an update of this report here . New Delhi: Amid the ongoing heated war of words between Tata Group and outsed group chairman Cyrus Mistry at Tata Group, Finance Ministry has asked financial institutions including LIC and banks to keep a watch on developments to safeguard the interest of investors. Since LIC as well as banks have invested depositors' money in various companies under Tata Sons, it is their duty to see that public money is not put at risk, Finance Ministry sources said. Safeguarding depositors' interest is paramount, they said, adding that as investors, banks and financial institutions are keeping a close watch on various developments taking place post the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons. Sources said that while there is no doubt that Tata Group is one of the largest and reputed industrial houses in the country, Standard Operating Procedure has to be followed in all the cases. Life Insurance Corporation of India alone has an exposure of about Rs 37,500 crore to different Tata Group companies. While LIC owns 3.2 per in TCS, which is the most profitable Tata firm, it owns 13.6 per cent in Tata Steel which is the most troubled group company now due to thelingering troubles at its British operations. At the same time, New India Assurance, another public sector insurance firm owns 1.17 per cent in Tata Steel. In Tata Power LIC owns 13.1 per cent stake, 7.13 per cent in Tata Motors, 8.8 per cent in Indian Hotels and 9.8 per cent in Tata Global Beverages. Mistry was unceremoniously removed last month by the board of Tata Sons as its Chairman. Interim chairman Ratan Tata has met V K Sharma, the acting chairman of LIC. Mistry has accused Tata Sons of cornering him into being a "lame-duck" chairman in the near four-year tenure and also hiding USD 18 billion of potential write-downs across five group firms, including Tata Motors and Tata Steel Europe. He has also alleged potential financial issues at the various companies and violations of securities regulations. His family firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group has 18.4 per cent in Tata Sons. As much as 66 per cent shares in Tata Sons are held by philanthropic trusts endowed by members of the Tata family. The Edo State Government has reiterated the need for residents to adhere to the COVID-19 preventive measures as confirmed cases in the state rose to 1,850 with 60 deaths. The State Commissioner for health, Patrick Okundia, told journalists in Benin City that it had become necessary to intensify the campaign on use of face masks, hand washing and physical distancing to protect people from contracting the virus. Mr Okundia charged citizens to support the governments efforts at curbing the spread of the disease and protect the people by complying with set guidelines. Complying with these directives will imply that we care about the wellbeing of others, especially the elderly. The Edo State Government has taken serious steps to contain the pandemic across all communities in Edo. But we have observed poor compliance among members of the public toward COVID-19 preventive measures. This is even as some give out wrong addresses and phone numbers during sample collection which makes it difficult for contact tracers to track down confirmed cases after laboratory results are released. READ ALSO: If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, please call these toll-free numbers 08001235111 or 08002200110 for assistance, he said. Mr Okundia said Edo State has so far recorded 1,850 confirmed cases; 8,038 suspected cases; 4,643 line-listed contacts; 347 persons of interest (POIs) and 60 COVID-related deaths, He however, noted that 1,099 patients had so far been discharged. (NAN) Officials of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, again, had a misunderstanding with lawmakers. This time, it was with members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and other Financial Institutions, at a public hearing on Wednesday. The hearing is on two bills: Banks and other Financial Institutions Act Cap B3 LFN 2004 (Repeal and Reenactment) Bill 2020 and Electronic Transaction Bill, 2020. The first bill seeks to update the laws governing banks, financial institutions and financial services companies as well as to enhance efficiency in the process of obtaining/granting banking licences. It also seeks to clarify and accurately delineate the regulatory functions of the Central Bank of Nigeria in the financial services industry and updating and incorporating the laws for enacting, licensing and regulation of micro-finance banks in the country. The other bill legalises electronic transactions and criminalises online fraud. Delegates from the ministry were present to make inputs to the legislation. However, when called upon, the Director of Productivity and Labour Standards at the labour ministry, Eyewumi Neburagho, who represented the minister, demanded that both the hearing and the bill be suspended pending when the Senate committee would formally invite the ministry and send a copy of the draft bill to it. Apparently, the labour ministry was not among the stakeholders invited to the hearing. Mr Neburagho wondered why the ministry was not carried along, being a major stakeholder. He emphasised the need for the ministry to know how it will affect the interest of workers. "Although the ministry has never seen the bill and was not invited to this public hearing, we felt constrained to make an intervention in view of the information that section 45 of the bill is intended to make legislation to cover matters relating to labour administration and industrial relations, which matters are within the purvey of the Federal Ministry of Labour." He further stated that Nigeria has ratified the ILO convention no 144 on tripartite consultation, traditional labour standard. The ratification implies that in undertaking a process of enactment of any global policy or legislation, the Nigerian social partners, comprising governments and employers of workers organisations must consult and dialogue among themselves with a view to reaching consensus on the proposed law or policy in question. "We in the Ministry of Labour and Employment have not been availed or presented with a copy of the said bill on which this public hearing is called. "Rather, in view of the interventions of the Nigerian Labour Congress on part of the bill as it affects the issue of labour legislation, we will like to state that this public hearing be stepped down until the bill is circulated to all social partners to ascertain if the bill meets international labour standards and best practices and our aspirations to enhance decent working, promote fair labour practices and ensure industrial harmony in the economy. "... the ministry of labour and employment wish to propose that the bill and the public hearing be stepped down until the labour issues in the bill are sorted out in the appropriate tripartite consultative forum. On the other hand, the sponsors of the bill may wish to expunge the labour aspect of the bill and go ahead with the areas on digital financial transactions," he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Labour Governance Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. His demand was not well-accepted by the panel members who insisted that the legislative process on the bill would continue. The Chairman of the panel, Uba Sani, also warned the ministry against dictating to the National Assembly how to carry out its business. "We are federal lawmakers elected to make laws for the good of the country and we would not sit here and watch an appointee of an executive arm of government dictating to us on how to conduct our procedure." There was no resolution as to whether the panel will send a copy of the legislation to the ministry as other stakeholders were called upon to make their contributions to the bill. The sour relationship between the legislators and the ministry has lingered for weeks now following controversies surrounding the Special Public Works programme aimed at employing 774,000 Nigerians. Savvy clients are spending more time vetting homes online before shopping in person, so our audience was eager for more expansive, interactive imagery. Chicago real estate brokerage Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago is pleased to announce the debut of the firms all-new Luxury Collection Magazine. A long-time leader in Chicagolands high-end residential real estate market, the firm redesigned the monthly digital magazine to showcase the finest residences presently offered for sale by the company in a fresh, new format. Diane Glass, COO, said, Our new Luxury Collection Magazine is an exquisite visual delight that demonstrates luxurys diverse landscape. The definition of luxury is so very personal these days too, with discerning buyers actively curating their options. Savvy clients are spending more time vetting homes online before shopping in person, so our audience was eager for more expansive, interactive imagery. As a firm whose agents are recognized for their expertise in this important market segment, we wanted to update the magazine to reflect a new luxury lifestyle. We invite you to view Luxury Collection Magazine and the beautiful properties and lifestyles it imparts. Enjoy! Luxury Collection Magazine is an exceptional guide to the luxury lifestyle. Distribution includes promotion on BHHSChicago.com, in social media, Chicago Tribune online and in our Luxury Collection print advertising. Luxury Collection Magazine is sent monthly to more than 10,000 of the areas top brokers and is shared regularly with the firms international broker networks. Impressions on Chicago Tribune exceed 75K per month. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicagos dedicated Luxury Marketing Team works in conjunction with the firms full service Marketing Department to provide luxury agents with additional service and support for their luxury clientele. Additional avenues of support can include: copywriting, graphic design, public relations, e-campaigns, digital media support, print media support, property event support and custom media plans. For more information, visit BHHSChicago.com. ABOUT BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CHICAGO Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago is a full-service real estate firm with nearly 1,400 real estate professionals and staff in 25 offices serving customers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, the North Shore, West Suburban communities, Southern Wisconsin, Northwest Indiana and Harbor Country, Michigan. Recognized as the #No. 1 Top Workplace in Chicago by the Chicago Tribune in 2019, their local roots are complemented by the extensive global reach of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, one of the nations leading real estate brands. Affiliated and ancillary services in the form of Prosperity Home Mortgage, Fort Dearborn Title, and HomeServices Insurance complete the comprehensive services offered to clients. Visit BHHSChicago.com. T he Mayor of Bristol said the statue of a Black Lives Matter protester erected to replace that of Edward Colston "had to come down" as he spoke out on the "very delicate time" the city is facing. London artist Marc Quinn created the life-size black resin and steel sculpture of activist Jen Reid after seeing a photo of her standing on the empty plinth following the toppling of the 18th Century slave trader. Quinn's sculpture, entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), was installed shortly before 4.30am on Wednesday without the knowledge or consent of Bristol City Council. A sign reading Black Lives Still Matter was placed at its base. But the statue was removed by the council on Thursday. The Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said he "welcomed contributions from the artist" to pay for the cost of its removal. The statue was removed from the plinth and loaded into a recycling and skip hire lorry on Thursday morning / PA He told Sky News: "I prefer to say we're not taking down the statue of a Black Lives Matter protester but we're taking down the work of a London-based artist who erected it without permission and without any conversation with the city. "We set up a process that we think is really important to make sure that in a very delicate time we include the whole city and make sure everyone feels respected, and it was put up outside of that process and therefore had to come down." Mr Rees said if the artist had requested permission from the Mayor before erecting the statue he still would have said no. "We've pulled together a history commission in the city," said Mr Rees. "We want a group of historians to help restore [the city] coming to contact with its full story across race, class, gender, trade union activity, and within that context we will be in a better position to make decisions about who we want to honour." Statue of Black Lives Matter protester removed from Bristol Mr Rees told BBC Radio 5 Live that, when he spoke to the sculptor, the artist was unaware that the toppling of the Colston statue also caused damage to the grave of Scipio Africanus, a memorial to an enslaved African man. Running around provoking debate without any awareness of the potential consequences of that debate is not OK," said the Mayor. He added that how race was navigated in the UK was a delicate balance. Its increasingly delicate for me because every time I talk about race, as a black politician, Im boxed in all I do is talk about race, he told the programme. The irony is 200-odd years or 300 years after Colston died hes coming back to get this first black politician. Contractors use ropes to secure A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) statue / PA The sculpture will now be put into storage and discussions will take place with Marc Quinn and Jen Reid about what they want to do about it. The artist has obviously said that he wants to sell it and give the money to local charities, said the Mayor. I will say too and this is the point Ive made and its not a flippant point but actually were facing a major funding crisis through Covid at the moment as well. Weve lost revenue and weve had increased costs. Local authorities all across the country are talking about the financial crisis. It cost us money to take this down. The money we spent taking the statue down actually comes from accounts that we spend on adult social care and childrens services. Wed really welcome a contribution from the artist. On June 7, protesters on the Black Lives Matter march used ropes to pull the Colston statue from its plinth in the city centre. It was dragged to the harbourside, where it was thrown in the water at Peros Bridge named in honour of enslaved man Pero Jones who lived and died in the city. Mrs Reid described the Colston statue being thrown into the river as a truly historical moment. Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour 1 /13 Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour PA Keir Gravil via Reuters PA PA PA PA PA PA PA PA The city council retrieved the statue on June 11 and said it would be displayed in a museum with placards from the Black Lives Matter protest. Mr Quinns previous works include self-portrait Self and a sculpture entitled Alison Lapper Pregnant, for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. The artist, who had been following events following the death of George Floyd in the US, contacted Mrs Reid after a friend showed him a photograph on Instagram of her standing on the plinth. My first, instant thought was how incredible it would be to make a sculpture of her, in that instant, he said. PA It is such a powerful image, of a moment I felt had to be materialised, forever. I contacted Jen via social media to discuss the idea of the sculpture and she told me she wanted to collaborate. Mrs Reid went to his studio and 201 cameras were used to create a 3D print and a mould for the sculpture. Mr Quinn said it was not put on the plinth as a permanent solution, adding that it may only last days or weeks before taken down. We want to keep highlighting the unacceptable problem of institutionalised and systemic racism that everyone has a duty to face up to, he said. He described the sculpture as an embodiment and amplification of Mrs Reids ideas and experiences. If the statue is sold, all profits will be donated to Cargo Classroom and the Black Curriculum two charities chosen by Mrs Reid, Mr Quinn said. As a Puerto Rican growing up in New York City during the late 70s and early 80s, my community was Black and brown. I was told that there was no difference between a Black person and a Puerto Rican. We were in the same boat, in the same struggle. Now, the conversation around race has changed. There's a real recognition of colorism and it helps to explain my experience. When my friends and I would go steal candy, I was always the one relegated to doing the actual stealing. It was because all my people were darker and they would distract the store owner while I literally stole candy from the store. The booty was always shared equally among my darker-skinned counterparts. But I, the light-skinned Puerto Rican, gained all the respect and admiration. I got the "street cred." Colorism is real. I am now a leader in the movement. And at this moment, I want to challenge my other Latinx leaders. This is not a moment to passively sit by. This is a moment to act. The protests are working. Each day, we are exposing the cancer of hate that courses through the veins of the system. Latinx people know that we row in the same boat with Black America, but too many pretend otherwise. When the focus is on someone else, you take the chance to breathe. But believe me, the heavy nightstick that falls on Black bodies falls on our people as well. The boot on our neck has been heavy as our countries and communities are ravaged. Our blood has also been shed and we continue to bleed. And we are part of the African diaspora. We cannot take pride in that only when it seems safe, only when it gives a sway to our hips. We will benefit from ending police brutality, so we must fight alongside those who are suffering because they are part of us. Our faith leaders must cry out, our Latino communities must use their considerable mass to say "No mas! Black lives matter!" More Information Rosemary Rivera of Albany is co-executive director of Citizen Action of New York. "New Voices" is a series of essays written by local residents at the request of Times Union editors, aimed at broadening readers' understanding of the issues confronting people of color in our diverse community. See More Collapse According to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Latin America had over 10 times the number of slaves imported than the United States. But for years, Black people in Latin America did not consider themselves as Black. The mix of race and the difference in language allowed many to think of themselves as other than Black. Many capitalized on all that was Black and then rejected all that identified them as Black. Perhaps it was a survival mechanism. Maybe they thought "as long as someone else is getting the proverbial boot on neck, then I can slide by and not be noticed by oppressive forces. After all, I just want to breathe." Well, the time has come for Latinx people to understand their history. Slavery was, and continues to be, a worldwide injustice. Those in countries just south of the United States did not escape the brutality of colonization and the erasure of who we are. Now we are a rainbow people. Yet to white supremacists, we are no better than the black skin they love to hate. We must see our history. It will allow us to see how we cannot ignore the plight of Black America. The blood of our ancestors calls to us, and we know that if our Black siblings weren't carrying the brunt of this, that whip would fall on us. We must unite in solidarity, lift up the voices of the Black bodies that are falling, while we understand that we cannot be free until Black people are free. The chains that bind us are now the chains of fear. We must break out of them and shout with all our might that Black Lives Matter. It's unjust to separate ourselves from white people when it's convenient and then be silent when Black bodies are experiencing modern day lynchings. We are but a shade away from the wrath of white supremacy. To my fellow Latinx leaders: let's bridge the divide by showing up, speaking out, and not letting our light-skinned Latinx brothers and sisters think that they can somehow escape the hate. The generational trauma of our ancestors was passed on to us, and with it the strength to fight. See you in the streets. After graduating from New York Universitys Stern School of Business, Zyskind began working as an investment banker at Janney Montgomery Scott in New York. Two years into the job, another opportunity within the financial sector came his way. In 1998, Zyskinds father-in-law, Michael Karfunkel, and his brother, George Karfunkel, both veterans of the real estate business, got the chance to buy a specialty niche insurance company from Wang Holdings. Michael asked Zyskind if he wanted to take part in the acquisition and then work for the firm; Zyskind agreed. We wanted to build something successful and something big and something that would last for a very, very long time, he explains. The company we had acquired had a small niche they insured electronics so we started from there. AmTrusts continued focus on niche specialty property & casualty markets helped the newly formed company stand out from larger insurance carriers. The search for underserved niches eventually led AmTrust to the workers compensation arena and established its strength in small commercial business. We've really stuck to our plans we still insure electronics through our warranty business, Zyskind says. We also are one of the largest small workers comp insurers in the United States. By staying focused and staying in our niches, we've continued getting better. During his tenure at AmTrust, Zyskind has also come to realize the value the insurance industry provides. It's an underappreciated business, he says, but I think insurance companies play a critical role in the economy, and when you get [into the industry], you realize how important it is to the economy and how you can make difference. Insuring Americas backbone Specializing in small business insurance has paid off for AmTrust. More than 99% of businesses in the US are considered small, and they employ almost 50% of all employees in the country, according to the Small Business Administration. That translates into a large client base. Small business is something that we believe will be here for many generations to come, Zyskind says, and they're always reinventing themselves, whether it's a dentist, a doctor, a restaurant, a specialty retailer or a contractor. In the same vein, AmTrust has also evolved. In 2001, Zyskind wanted to diversify the companys insurance offerings for small businesses and decided to get into workers comp. However, the decision was a controversial one, as the 1999 scandal involving Unicover and its failed workers comp business was still on everyones minds. At the time, I was leading the company, and my father-in-law was the chairman, and I remember going to him and telling him that we wanted to get into workers comp, Zyskind recalls. At first he told me that he didn't think it made sense, and I came back with the plan, and ultimately he said, If you want to do it, do it. It was something where I had this strong feeling, and the more I learned about it, the more I wanted to do it. AmTrust began by building a workers comp underwriting team in the US. Then, in 2002, it acquired the renewal rights for The Princeton Agencys workers comp business, which helped to expand its footprint in the US and supercharge the new line of business. Looking forward In the first few years after founding AmTrust, the companys leaders were focused on buying companies and books of business that offered something of value to the fledgling company. These acquisitions included buying the renewal rights to Associated Industries Insurance Company in 2004, which added to AmTrusts book of business in Florida and, one year later, acquiring the renewal rights to Alea North Americas specialty middle-market P&C business. The deal-making continued in the years that followed, which helped AmTrust grow its presence around the world, as well as its teams expertise. In 2016 alone, AmTrust completed 14 acquisitions. However, its growth strategy has since shifted. Acquisitions have played a critical role, Zyskind says, noting that over the last two years, weve really focused on making sure that systems and people are marching in the right direction. We've transitioned from a company that did a lot of acquisitions and became very large to a company looking to principally grow [organically]. One of the current areas that Zyskind and AmTrust are paying close attention to is the E&S marketplace, which is seeing more activity amid a harder market. We feel good about being able to take the things weve learned in the admitted market and apply them to the E&S market, Zyskind says, and also learn how to combine some admitted products with non-admitted products. To help the company remain profitable and safeguard its success into the future, AmTrust launched the organization-wide AmTrust Forward program last year. AmTrusts leaders pinpointed the companys strengths and what was important moving forward, which involved selling some operations that didnt fit into this plan. Now the AmTrust plane is ready for takeoff, despite some turbulence brought on by the pandemic. Before COVID-19 hit, we were seeing a lot of momentum, and we're continuing to see the momentum, so we feel good about where we are, and we feel we're focused, Zyskind says. AmTrust Forward is taking the best of what we've done in the past and positioning ourselves for 2020 and beyond. By Barani Krishnan Investing.com - A day late, but perhaps better late than never for the bears in the market. Crude prices fell 1% on Thursday, reacting belatedly to the decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries from a day earlier to rollback 20% of production cuts that OPEC had maintained since the start of May. The market rallied instead on Wednesday, responding to a large unexpected drawdown in U.S. crude oil stocks. Oil news is very light other than people weighing in on the relaxing of the OPEC oil cuts that are coming, said Scott Shelton, energy futures broker at ICAP (LON:NXGN) in Durham, N.C. For now, there wasnt enough demand information that clearly indicated a bullish or bearish market for oil in the coming weeks and months, Shelton said. He, however, added: The evidence in the U.S. that I see suggests that there is enough demand to increase runs to some extent as gasoline stocks are drawing and margins are OK. New York-traded West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for U.S. crude futures, was down 42 cents, or 1%, to $40.78 per barrel by 1:13 PM ET (17:13 GMT). London-traded Brent, the global benchmark for oil, fell 46 cents, or also around 1%, to $43.33. WTI settled up 2.2% on Wednesday while Brent rose 2.1%, responding to a blockbuster weekly drawdown on U.S. crude. The Energy Information Administration reported in the previous session that US crude stockpiles fell 7.5 million barrels for the week ending July 11. Analysts tracked by Investing.com had expected a decline of 2.1 million barrels, after the previous weeks rise of 5.6 million barrels. The EIA also reported a drop of 3.1 million barrels in gasoline stockpiles and slide of nearly 500,000 barrels in diesel-dominated distillate inventories. Analysts had expected a gasoline draw of 643,000 barrels and distillates build of nearly 1.5 million barrels. The Saudi-led and Russia-assisted OPEC+ alliance, meanwhile, said on Wednesday it will withhold 7.7 million barrels a day from the market from August onward, compared with the 9.6 million in July. Story continues Some say that a 2 million barrel reduction in OPEC cuts could go a long way in negating weekly draws in U.S. crude. Case in point: Crude inflows into the United States fell by 1.8 million barrels last week, the most in four years, underscoring the work by OPEC, or precisely Saudi Arabia, to reduce shipments to the United States in order to create low inventory levels that would boost WTI prices. if the Saudis start sending more of their cargo in the direction of the United States, that could change. And the jury is still out on how demand for oil could fare amid the new wave of coronavirus infections across the world. The United States reported more than 67,000 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday. Top U.S. pandemics expert Anthony Fauci said recently the daily case growth could reach 100,000 without proper social-distancing and other safety measures. Some 3.5 million Americans have already been infected by Covid-19, with a death toll reaching nearly 140,000. A new model by the University of Washington predicts 200,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States by Oct. 1, casting further doubts on economic reopening from lockdowns. The U.S. economy shrank 5 percent in the first three months of 2020 for its sharpest decline since the Great Recession of 2008/09, as most of the 50 states in the country went into lockdown to stem the outbreak of the virus. While most businesses have reopened over the past two months, economists still warn of a double-digit recession by the second quarter. Related Articles Exclusive: Natixis plans shake-up to focus on greener lending Crude Oil Falls as U.S. Data Cast Doubt on Recovery Oil Demand Pick-Up Recedes With Virus Proving Tough to Shake The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia July 14, 2020 For any society to prosper, it needs to have a government to run its affairs. The government helps to sustain the social contract that binds every member of the state. Thus, the price that is paid for a state to be prosperous is for it to have an established government that enforces the social contract. Members of an ordered society, called a state, must pay taxes sufficient to carry out the functions assigned to the state. In Liberia, costs associated with the running of government have increased dramatically over the years such that an increasingly reduced proportion of public revenue is available to support and implement the primary functions of government. Consequently, the discharge of beneficial government functions has been hampered. Its no news. The curse of leadership plagues Africa, and Liberia is chief amongst its sufferers. The discussion of Liberian politics has long focused on the role of the executive (President), or on the party, and less commonly on the role of the legislature. Big men (and now a few women) dominated national politics, either as democrats. They and their close associates were salient and largely determinative of political machinations and outcomes. Thus the President was for many decades omnipotent in the majority of Liberian politics. According to the Liberian 1986 constitution, the key function of the Liberian national legislature is to constrain the arbitrary or capricious acts of the executive on behalf of the citizens whom legislators are meant to represent. Oversight is essential to any democracy because it ensures both the vertical accountability of rulers to the ruled as well as the horizontal accountability of all other government agencies to the one branch the legislature whose primary function is to represent the citizens. In the past year, I made a clear determination to steer clear talking about government without being able to do anything. However, I am forced to write in clear terms in this article about the arrogances of 3rd term Representative of District #5, Montserrado County, Representative Thomas Fallah of the Congress for Democratic Change, and presumptive senatorial candidate Montserrado County in the ensuring 2020 bi-senatorial elections and Representative Rustonlyn Dennis of the Liberia Transformation Party (LTP) representing District #5, Montserrado County Rep Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis (L) and Rep Thomas Fallah Last week, we were served another national comedy when Representative Thomas Fallah wrote on his official Facebook page 18 years ago, I was denied from entering a university because I couldnt afford by September 2021, the T. Five University will open to the poorest of the poor. Never give up, remember that nothing is more powerful than the resilience of the human spirit. The question is, Da your pa f-cking money? For her part Rep. Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis (District #4, Montserrado) said she will not seek treatment at the John F Kennedy Memorial Medical Center under its current administration for fear of her life after the recent passing of Representative Jay Nagbe Sloh of District #2, Sinoe County at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia. On July 8, 2020, we got the unfortunate news of the passing of Rep. Munah Pelham-Youngblood (CDC, District No. 9 Montserrado) a short while ago in Accra, Ghana. One of the unintended consequences of the legislatures unilateral pending action brings to the front-burner questions about the size of government, the excessive cost of governance, and the fraud and corruption in Liberia. An examination of the operational style of successive Liberian legislatures since 2006 would reveal an array of demagogue politicians who always pretend to mean well in the kind of policies they have pursued in the running of government, but a perusal of their factual performance records would disclose only deliberate and systematic pillage of our national wealth, reckless misappropriation of scarce resources and brazen disregard for the needs of the people. These pretentious politicians, who always claim to have people-oriented and focused leadership qualities, are in fact, the least endowed with the virtues of transparency, probity, and accountability in the running of government business. The result of all these debaucheries is the emergence of a powerful privileged class that has suddenly supplanted the yearnings and aspirations of teeming Liberians with its bloated appetite for opulent and ostentatious lifestyles. Meanwhile, despite our bloated and behemoth government bureaucracies, the pre-occupation of our lawmakers has ceased from being servants of the Liberian people to maintaining and protecting themselves and their numerous cronies. While corruption and cronyism continue to fester in government circles, the people continue to wallow in inexplicable squalor and denial. Liberians generally observed and agreed that Liberia is a nation blessed beyond belief but, as at today, a nation in abject poverty, with confused leadership, and obscurity. Many articles, opinions, suggestions, etc. have been written about Liberia in the recent past. More of these critical, but constructive viewpoints have been adjudged by the very objective minded as poignant, relevant, and indeed requisite for all those leaders who wish Liberia well. It is depressing that several years of huge democratic investment in Liberia have yielded no fruitful gain, rather, a downturn in development and growth. The national legislature is made up of unserious elements, and self-centered individuals. Our lawmakers are not justifying their monthly pays, vis-a-vis the number of days and hours they sit in a week, and the number of times they go on vacation every legislative calendar. How can Rep. Fallah who was once poor, but after being elected to the legislature, now, boast of building a multi-million university? Why are our lawmakers playing on the sensibility of our poverty-stricken people? Is Liberia under a curse of Leadership? Is leadership Liberias greatest challenge? Is it corruption? What will we do about it? Will there ever be an end? Are we at a tipping point? Is there hope? Is there a way out? I would like for you to take a little glimpse of the present crop of leaders who govern our affairs, starting with the lawmakers and others in subsequent articles. These are the leaders we have elected in the past elections to serve our interests. Most of these leaders collect huge funds from the Liberian government and not only spend them lavishly, but keep increasing their expenditures at the expense of capital expenditure. They are part and puzzle of why Liberia is spending 90% of her entire budget on recurrent expenditure. The Lawmakers Budget in Post Conflict Liberia Fiscal Year (FY) 2006-2007: US $ 9,456,230 FY 2007-2008: US $16M FY 2008-2009: US $18M FY 2009-2010: US $19M FY 2010-2011: US $23M FY 2011-2012: US $26M FY2012-2013: US $39M FY 2013-2014: US $39M FY 2014-2015: US$41M FY 2015-2016: US$54M FY2016-2017: US$47M FY2017-2018: US$49M FY2018-2019: US$49.2M Office of the Speaker of the House FY 2009-2010: US $605,412 FY 2010-2011: US $ 619,952 FY 2011-2012: US $631,167 FY 2012-2013: US $911,793 FY 2013-2014: US$1.3M FY 2014-2015: US$1.5M FY 2015-2016: US$1M FY2016-2017: US$1M OFICE OF THE DEPUTY SPEAKER FY 2009-2010: US$334,088 FY 2010-2011: US$387,928 FY 2011-2012: US$545,204 FY 2012-2013: US $508,724 FY 2013-2014: US$521,746 FY2014-2013: US$1.2M FY2014-2015: UU$1M FY2015-2016: US$1.4M FY 2016-2017: US$930,132 OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE FY 2009-2010: US $ 634,900 FY 2010-2011: US $ 517,904 FY 2011-2012: US $ 911,227 FY 2012-2013: US $906,979 FY 2013-2014: US$1.6M FY 2014-2015: US$2.3M FY 2015-2016: US$9.5 FY 2016-2017: US$1.3M PLEASE NOTE: FOr some strange reasons, the speaker, Deputy speAKer, and president pro TEMPORE OFFICESXSPENDINGS are no more captured in the budget since cdc led government assumed office. Liberian "lawmakers" Look at the statics in the last decade, the average income of each of our legislators has gone up every budgetary cycle at the expense of the entire working force in Liberia. Now, this kind of inequality -- a level that we havent seen since the formation of the Liberian states -- hurts us all. When average Liberia families can no longer afford to buy the goods and services that businesses are selling, when people are slipping deep into abject poverty, it drags down the entire economy from top to bottom. Recent studies have shown that countries with less inequality tend to have stronger and steadier economic growth over the long run. Inequality also distorts our democracy. It gives an outsized voice to the few who can afford to participate in politics, and it runs the risk of selling out our democracy to the highest bidder. Our representatives and senators earn so much; do you expect them to defend the hapless & helpless majority against a cruel government or its policies? It leaves the Liberian people else rightly suspicious that the system is rigged against them that our elected representatives arent looking out for the interests of most Liberians. You know why! Its why they ignored all the waste in the budget but jerked up their budget every fiscal year. Our lawmakers have been looting public funds through budgetary allocation and generally being a nuisance since 2006. Amidst the pervading abject poverty across the land, our lawmakers allocated to themselves US$49 million in the FY2018-2019. This is part of the reason why 90% of the nations budget is allocated to mainly recurrent expenditures. This means the CDC led government is spending less on capital investment projects the contributing fact can arguably be traced to the waste in government including the US49 million, a huge chunk of the nations resources to service less than 103 legislators and their staff in a country of over 4.6 million people. Where is the opposition in the legislature? Collaborating Political Parties, National Democratic Coalition, National Union for Democratic Progress, etc.? Birds of a feather flock together! The reality is Liberia has never worked, and may never work if we dont rise and confront the system of socioeconomic marginalization. The combined salaries and incentives of the representatives and senators in the Fiscal year 2018-2019 were US49.2 M and in the Fiscal year, 2017-2018 was US$49M. What do the Liberian legislators contribute to earning so much when the majority of our people are living in abject poverty and unemployment is soaring. This is why members of the legislature are so boastful and arrogant instead of being humble and servants of the people. What kind of country allocated in the 2018/2019 budget to the national legislature allocated US$49.2M while the educational sector was allocated US$25M, and the agriculture $37M (6.2% of the budget)? Why is Rep. Rustonlyn Suacoco Dennis feared for her life if she is admitted to the government-owned John F. Kennedy medical center? Does she know the paltry amounts allocated to health care by the legislature branch exemplified the misplaced priorities of the Liberian budgets? Not only have Liberia neglected the economic sector but also the social sector. It is generally acknowledged that investment in healthcare is necessary to maintain a healthy and quality population. Similarly, investment in education and agriculture are important for human resource development. In effect, education, health & agriculture sectors are necessary for social and economic development. An educated and healthy population that feeds itself enhances the competitiveness of a nation. Unfortunately, these three sub-sectors are neglected by the Liberian government. Given the contribution of education to development, the United Nations recommends that countries allocate 26 percent of their resources on education. In the 2018/2019 budget, the Liberia government never meets this budgetary target. The government allocated only 4.2% of its budget to the education sector (US$25M), which is lower than comparable African countries such as South Africa (26%), Cote dIvoire (30%), Ghana (31%), and Uganda (27%). Budgeting for education is one thing, getting commensurate outcomes is quite another thing. The Liberian government and legislators like Representative Thomas Fallah and Senator Prince Johnson invest in building schools and classrooms instead of the improvement of teacher quality and welfare, providing books and materials, and ensuring that children remain in school. Teachers' training and incentive packages for teachers improve academic performance far more than spending on lucrative building contracts for political party apparatchiks. In education as in everything in public finance, the quality of spending is as important as the amount and proportion of the total budget. The health sector across Liberia reveals an area of national life that is in dire need of rescue through new policies, regulations, and strengthened institutions. That is why I am surprised why one legislator recently died and many have died seeking medical treatment in Europe, America, Ghana, India, etc. Across the country, treatable diseases like malaria and cholera are still killers, infant and maternal mortality rates are amongst the worst in the world, while our life expectancy seems to be dropping. The government has greater responsibility for healthcare than any other tier, being in charge of primary and secondary healthcare. We had hoped that our governments budgets would be more effective, and higher in both quantity and quality. Sadly, that is not the reality the 2018/2919 as well as previous budgets revealed. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that 15% of national budgets be allocated to healthcare. The 2018/2019 budget of US$79 million is just about 13.4%. With the widespread dysfunctions in governance that we are experiencing as a country, the under-budgeting for the sector is worsened by the fact that actual releases are usually far less than the amounts allocated. Additionally, effective utilization of the little that gets released is hindered by the corruption and incompetence that exist in the public sector agencies. Liberia on the other hand, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2016 statistics, has a total land area of 9,362 Hectares with an agricultural area of 2710 Hectares. In simple terms, about 47% of the land in Liberia is arable, out of which less than half is currently under cultivation. Not only do we have vast amounts of arable land, but we also have favorable weather for year-round cultivation of crops. Despite the foregoing, Liberia does not produce enough food for internal consumption. In fact, according to the FAO 2020 statistic. Rice for human consumption accounts for over 80% of imports in Liberia, while wheat and maize account for about 13% and 6%, respectively. Sadly, these are all products that can be grown locally and if managed properly, can be exported in the near future. For a country blessed with so much with the potential of food production endowments, the 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) scored Liberia at 112 out of 117 qualifying countries. This index assesses all available data on hunger, undernourishment, and the pattern of food consumption within countries, and the higher the score, the more serious the nations hunger challenges. According to the ranking, the score of 34.9 for Liberia, therefore, indicates a serious hunger problem in the country. Ironically, nations like Botswana, Namibia. Iran, Iraq, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, and Oman which are substantially desert nations scored less than 5 on the GHI, indicating the near absence of hunger and malnutrition. We cant go on like this. It will take a fight. The slavery our children will be subjected to will know no bounds. We are enslaved by our very own, our blood, our kinsmen! They ridicule us with their plunder, getting audacious with every unchecked loot they take from the system. Once we can ensure frugality at the legislative, they will exert pressure on other branches of government. We have allowed those meant to keep a check on the system become loose. Insanity! I can never entrust a primary school to any of these looters, they will ruin it! We are close to a tipping point, a point where we are being reminded daily of why we should save our nation from their destructive hands. We are at a point where we must make strategic efforts to sacrifice now so we can gain tomorrow, for Liberia, amongst other issues, is living up to delivery services to our people. How did we end up putting these guys at the helm of national affairs? Why are re-electing folks who keep pushing waste and spending more on our national budget? Most of these lawmakers are personal failures in their system, hence the need to amass wealth by all means possible. The wastes from Liberian legislature, when put together, will build schools; equip hospitals, clinics, community road, et al. Is this why we were told to sacrifice a little? What do we do? We must demand a cut down of these wasteful salaries, allowances, and incentives accruing to the national legislature, at least 50% cut. Protest against any increase from the savages at the national legislature. We must demand the Liberian government adhere to the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation that 15% of national budgets be allocated to healthcare, the United Nations recommendation that countries allocate 26% of their resources on education. For the agricultural sector to be restored as the mainstay of our economy, the spending priorities of the government must genuinely reflect a national commitment to the sector. Allocating in 6.2% of the budget to agriculture is insufficient to enable us to attain the food sufficiency we direly need, much less position us to be a major exporter of cash crops. Agriculture must be made a priority bearing in mind that our other resources are a non-renewable, finite resource that will be exhausted sometime in the future, or replaced by greener or cheaper alternatives. The budgetary allocation figures also need to be tilted sharply in favor of capital expenditure. Allocating 96% of the entire budget on recurrent expenditure is ludicrous! Agriculture is a practical and ground-based profession. The enormous personnel costs incurred on redundant government employees including our legislators add little or nothing to the development of our agricultural sector. Those monies budgeted for the research institutes need to be invested in the real or pilot production sites (farms) and the acquisition of the seedlings, fertilizers, chemicals, and equipment required to make them boost crop output. Better coordination with infrastructural Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), aggressive investment in storage capacities, low-interest loans, and greater extension and support services should command the attention of agricultural policymakers at states and federal levels. Studies indicate that every US dollar spent on agricultural research produces nine dollars worth of added food in developing countries. Agricultural research which successfully drove the first Green Revolution in Asia can also do the same in Liberia. Obviously, this does not refer to wasteful expenditure on personnel cost, engaging in excessive domestic and international travel, purchase of un-needed SUVs, and other pea-brained budget heads that constitute the bulk of typical MDA recurrent expenditures. A worthwhile investment in biotechnological hardware, software, and attracting the best and brightest minds to agricultural research will pay off in the medium to long term. Liberia must attain food sufficiency so that the paradox of hunger in the midst of plenty will no longer apply to us. In closing, we must occupy Liberia, by rejecting members of the current legislators up for re-elections in the senate in December of 2020. To achieve this, our ideology and strategy must be error-proof, must be near-perfect! The enlightened man must get to the poorest/not enlightened person and educate him/her to vote wisely and there is power in their votes. When we enlighten and empower the common man, he would need no coercion when the elastic limit is reached! The streets, the grassroots; thats where the power lies! Leadership failures! Leadership curse! Leadership collapse! This is Liberia, at present, the land of the living dead. We need a re-awakening! About the Author: Karweaye is a Liberian residing in the United States of America and can be contacted at s.karweaye1668@student.tsu.edu Vanity Fair's latest issue features Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis on its cover, making her a rare Black cover star in the magazine's 107-year history but even more notable, the man who shot the image is the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for the publication. Dario Calmese, who has been shooting for the magazine since last year, earned the long-overdue honor for Vanity Fair's July/August issue a groundbreaking moment he took seriously. 'I did know that this was a moment to say something,' the 38-year-old told the New York Times. 'I knew this was a moment to be, like, extra Black.' Big deal: Vanity Fair's latest issue features Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis on its cover and was the first cover ever to be shot by a Black photographer The snapper: Dario Calmese, who has been shooting for the magazine since last year, earned the long-overdue honor for Vanity Fair's July/August issue For Calmese, that meant staging a particularly powerful image of Davis, who wore a MaxMara trench dress for the cover shot. Shot from behind, the photo shows the dress falling off her shoulders and exposing much of her back. It's incredibly glamorous unlike the image that inspired it. Calmese said he based the shot on an iconic photo from 1863 called The Scourged Back, which shows the scarred back of a man named Gordon who escaped slavery. 'This image reclaims that narrative, transmuting the white gaze on black suffering into the black gaze of grace, elegance, and beauty,' said Calmese, who attended School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and now directs fashion shows for the label Pyer Moss. 'Its about replacing the images that have been washing over all of us for centuries, telling us who we are and our position in the world and our value,' he went on. 'For me, this cover is my protest. But not a protest in "Look at how bad youve been to me, and Im angry, and Im upset," [but rather] 'Im going to rewrite this narrative. Im just going to take ownership of it.' Inspiration: Calmese said he based the shot on an iconic photo from 1863 called The Scourged Back, which shows the scarred back of a man named Gordon who escaped slavery Star: Davis is one of eight Black cover stars cast since editor-in-chief Radhika Jones took over two and a half years ago; in the 35 years prior, there were just 17 In introducing the new issue, Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones highlighted the excitement of Calmese's participation. 'This month brings its own milestone. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first Vanity Fair cover made by a Black photographer,' she wrote in her editors letter. 'This is his first major magazine cover, and we celebrate him and honor his vision at this heightened moment in American history.' The magazine has also had a dearth of Black cover stars. in the 35 years before Jones became editor, just 17 covers featured solo Black stars. She has added eight more since she took over the role two and a half years ago, and also featured two interracial married couples. 'Our cover star this month is Viola Davis, and in the course of her conversation with Sonia Saraiya, she points to an incontrovertible fact about this magazine: "Theyve had a problem in the past with putting Black women on the covers,"' Jones continued. 'For most of the magazines history, a Black artist, athlete, or politician appearing on a regular monthly issue of Vanity Fair was a rare occurrence.' It took until 2018 for Vogue to hire a Black photographer to shoot its cover, after Beyonce hand-picked him to shoot her for the September issue Honor: Tyler Mitchell was the first Black photographer to shoot a cover in 125 years of the magazine It's not a problem for Vanity Fair alone and neither is a lack of Black cover photographers. It took until 2018 for Vogue to hire a Black photographer to shoot its cover, after Beyonce hand-picked him to shoot her for the September issue. Tyler Mitchell was the first Black photographer to shoot a cover in 125 years of the magazine. 'You know, we should be shooting covers of Vogue month to month, not just as a first,' he told NPR at the time. '[Photography] was known as a rich man's art, so it was mostly for white men who were able to afford all of the chemicals, the films, the cameras that went into it in the very early stages,' he went on. Another: Rolling Stone went 51 years before hiring a Black photographer for a cover, choosing Dana Scruggs to shoot Travis Scott for the January 2019 issue Her words: Scruggs said the honor was 'sweet and bittersweet' 'It's a historical thing that goes into why there just haven't comparatively been as many black fashion photographers as white fashion photographers. But the part that I can't answer is why they haven't been recognized ... the amazing Black photographers and black fashion photographers that have been shooting. 'The iPhone is the thing that opened up everything. The beautiful thing about now is that it's no longer somebody that can afford the best camera, but it's about what your eye says.' Rolling Stone went 51 years before hiring a Black photographer for a cover, choosing Dana Scruggs to shoot Travis Scott for the January 2019 issue. Scruggs said the honor was 'sweet and bittersweet'. 'Im out here making history when a year ago I was on the verge of giving up on being a photographer altogether,' she said. 'Never give up on yourself or your dreams. Ever.' The first word, Black, was designed by Tijay Mohammed, a Ghanaian-born artist, and used vibrant Kente fabric design and Adinkra symbols, which represent concepts like royalty, unity and legacy. Sophia Dawson, a Brooklyn-based visual artist, took the second word, lives. The L contains the faces of the mothers who have lost their children to police killings. The I uses imagery inspired by Emory Douglas, an artist for the Black Panther Party; the V highlights the culture of the African diaspora; the E contains faces of Black Panther Party members who are currently in prison; and the S carries a passage from the Bible. The street painting at Foley Square resembles many that have been done around the country in its word choice and placement, but part of what has been lost in the national debate over the art and the political statements they make is the logistical care, intentional placement and artistry that went into the creation of many of them. In an effort to prevent more hacked accounts from posting crypto scams, Twitter has apparently chosen to temporarily disable tweets from verified accounts. Though the company has not yet confirmed this to us, Engadget staffers have experienced this with our own verified accounts. At the same time, we were able to tweet using our unverified accounts. Other users on Twitter were having the same experience. You may be unable to Tweet or reset your password while we review and address this incident. Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 15, 2020 So far, the only tweet weve seen that acknowledges the issue is this one from Twitter Support, which states You may be unable to tweet or reset your password while we review and address this incident. Weve since reached out to Twitter for additional information. While verified users were unable to tweet, they could still retweet. Several prominent Twitter accounts (like NBC News below) have taken to posting from alternate accounts and then retweeting them from their official verified accounts as a workaround. It appears Twitter has halted tweeting from verified accounts as they deal with the July 15th verified account compromise event. We will temporarily tweet significant updates here, and retweet them to our verified accounts, as a service. Temporary NBC News (@TempNBCNews) July 15, 2020 Most, if not all of the hacked accounts from earlier in the day were from verified accounts such as Elon Musk and Barack Obama. This could be the companys way of preventing more of those crypto scam tweets from occurring, at least temporarily. Verified Twitter accounts typically include not just celebrities and politicians, but also media outlets, brands, emergency services, public transit alert systems, official government agencies and more. Again...NWS Lincoln, IL cant tweet right now because of the Twitter lock of verified accounts. What a mess. There is a tornado warning in effect. https://t.co/9Ft705qfMB pic.twitter.com/eS3kynJtey Derrick Snyder (@Derrick_Snyder) July 15, 2020 Update 8:31pm ET: It appears that the ability for verified accounts to tweet has returned, but it might be in flux. Twitter Support tweeted the following statement: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin James Pearson (Reuters) Hanoi, Vietnam Thu, July 16, 2020 19:45 551 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666dc4fa 2 World South-China-Sea,territorial-disputes,China-ASEANRelations,US-China,US-China-tension,maritime-border Free The United States this week hardened its position on the South China Sea, where it has accused China of attempting to build a "maritime empire" in the potentially energy-rich waters, despite regional concerns. The rivals have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong. A statement from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 13 was the first time the United States had called China's claims in the sea unlawful and accused Beijing of a "campaign of bullying". But heated rhetoric has also been on the rise in the region, where Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam challenge China's claim to about 90% of the sea. Regional tensions Vietnam, frequently at loggerheads with China over the issue, is this year chairing the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). At a June 26 summit in Hanoi, Vietnam and the Philippines - China's most vocal challengers over the sea - warned of growing regional insecurity amid concern that Beijing was advancing territorial claims under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic. As China held military drills in the South China Sea this month, Vietnam said Beijing's actions were "detrimental" to its relationship with the Southeast Asian bloc. The United States simultaneously deployed two aircraft carriers to the area for what it said were pre-planned exercises. In a blustery response to the Chinese drills, Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said China "will be met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate", if the exercises encroached on Philippine territory. That followed a surprise move by President Rodrigo Duterte - who had courted Beijing since taking office in 2016 - to suspend his decision to scrap a two-decade-old troop deployment agreement with the United States. Troubled waters China illustrates its claims with a vague, U-shaped "nine-dash line" that includes swathes of Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, as well as the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands. It also overlaps the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. A tribunal at The Hague, based on a suit brought by the Philippines, ruled in 2016 that China has no "historic title" over the waters, and that its line was superseded by the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Last year, Chinese and Vietnamese vessels became embroiled in a months-long standoff in Vietnam's EEZ where a Chinese research vessel conducted a sweeping seismic survey of waters overlapping Vietnamese oil blocks. In May, the same Chinese research vessel was involved in another month-long standoff with Malaysian ships in Malaysia's EEZ, close to where a drillship contracted by Malaysian state oil firm Petronas had been operating. Chinese incursions happened 89 times between 2016 and 2019, Malaysia's government said on Tuesday. Indonesia has also begun to take a tougher stance. In January, Jakarta summoned China's ambassador and dispatched air and sea patrols after Chinese vessels entered Indonesia's EEZ around the northern Natuna islands. The tensions have already affected Vietnamese oil production in the area, including operations controlled by Russia's Rosneft and Spain's Repsol. "We're already seeing reduced appetite for oil and gas investment in Vietnam," said Andrew Harwood, research director at consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie. "Escalating tensions will not improve the situation". Superintendents in three Michigan school districts are among eight contenders to be interviewed for the top administrative post in the Center Line Public Schools. The group of current and former high-ranking education administrators was selected by the Center Line Board of Education from a field of more than three dozen people who applied to become superintendent. The process to find a successor for retiring Center Line Superintendent Eve Kaltz began earlier this year as district officials solicited public input on the qualifications and attributes the next superintendent should have. Progress was postponed, however, in March and through most of spring as officials dealt with the statewide closure of school buildings as ordered by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school board eventually resumed, and in mid-June met with the Michigan Association of School Boards to develop superintendent selection criteria as part of the executive search. The job posting closed June 24 and attracted considerable interest with 39 individuals submitting applications, according to the MASB. By our evaluation, via an extensive paper screening, the applicant pool is very strong relative to other searches as it includes a higher proportion of applicants with prior superintendent experience and numerous applicants with considerable district-wide administrative experience, said Greg Sieszputowski, MASB director of leadership development and executive search services. Board members already are familiar with one of the applicants to be interviewed, Lisa Oleski. She is assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in the 2,531 student district, located in most of the city of Center Line and a small portion of surrounding Warren. The other seven are: * Angel Abdulahad, superintendent of Madison District Public Schools * Dorothy Blackwell, superintendent of Vassar Public Schools * Mary Ann Cyr, assistant superintendent of the Taylor School District * Joseph Haynes, assistant superintendent of Yale Public Schools * Richard Klee, former director of curriculum, instruction, state and federal programs for the Crestwood School District * David Rabbideau, former assistant superintendent of Harper Woods Public Schools * Melody Strang, superintendent of the Genesee School District The school board met recently to narrow the field and to pick candidates for a first round of interviews. I think the board feels by and large the pool is an excellent pool, board President Gary Gasowski said. It wasnt easy getting down to these eight candidates. Gasowski said the board could vote as early this week to select two or possibly more finalists for a second round of interviews. The board hopes to extend a contract offer to a top choice by the end July. The public question-and-answer sessions of the eight applicants will be conducted by video conference 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 and 6-10 p.m. Thursday, July 16. Four applicants are scheduled to be interviewed each evening. The virtual meetings are open to the public and can be viewed by logging into the Zoom app with Meeting ID: 917 5566 0987, and password: SE0826. Attendees can opt to listen by phone by dialing 1-312-626-6799. Many of the applicants in this pool met the criteria established by the board, Sieszputowski said. Applicant pool data for the Center Line Public Schools superintendent vacancy included: * Highest degree received: 42% earned an Ed.D. or Ph.D.; 26% received an Education Specialist or 6-year equivalent; 32% masters degree * Highest position experience: 37% former or current superintendent, 39% assistant superintendent/central office administrator; 24% building administrator * 30% of candidates were from outside of Michigan District officials invite residents, parents, teachers and other Center Line school employees to log in to the virtual meetings. Log-in information for the applicant interviews also can be found on the districts calendar at clps.org/apps/events/. By Trend Peace in Nagorno Karabakh is only possible if the will of the general public and the UN resolutions are taken in the account, diplomatic activities correspondent at Pakistans BOL News agency Anwer Abbas told Trend. Starting from the afternoon on July 12, units of the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the ceasefire in the direction of the Tovuz district of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, shelled Azerbaijani positions using artillery mounts. Talking current situation at the frontline, Abbas noted that it has been observed across the world that a party that does not want peace or has illegally occupied lands of another country starts provocations by violating ceasefire just to have the negotiations fail. Another fact is that the aggressor country always tries to distract the world from its crime by starting violent actions. This very tactic is being used by Armenia as they do not respect peace or value human lives. Throughout history, Armenians remained barbaric and brutal in their actions whether it is Tovuz now or in Khojaly, Abbas said. The journalist emphasized that Armenia always attempts to start aggression whenever there is a mediation or peace attempt. Without resolving Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with the will of the general public and the UN resolutions it is impossible to establish peace in the region. Azerbaijan should give a befitting response to make Armenia understand that if they make any expedition it will cost them greatly, he said. MELBOURNE, Australia - Australias coronavirus hot spot, Victoria state, moved to increase available hospital beds Thursday and reported a record 317 new infections. The government had planned to restore hospitals to normal medical services by the end of July before infections began to rise in recent weeks. Instead, the Victoria government responded to the latest spike by reducing non-urgent surgeries allowed in hospitals to increase beds available for COVID-19 patients, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said. Two men in their 80s died in Victoria in the last 24 hours, bringing the national virus death toll to 113. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said the full impact of a six-week lockdown in Australias second-largest city, Melbourne, was not yet apparent because it was only a week old. It will take some time to bring that stability to the numbers and then of course to start to see a pattern where they are driven down, Andrews said. Australias highest daily tally before Thursday was 288 in Victoria on July 10. Both exceed the previous record of 212 in New South Wales state during the first peak of the pandemic. Its a big number. It needs to turn around, Victoria Chief Health Office Brett Sutton said of the 317 new cases. In some ways, I expect it to turn around this week. But as Ive always said, its no guarantee. Its upon all of us to be able to turn this number around. Given the week the lockdown has been in effect, the incubation period of the virus and the time for cases to be confirmed and counted, we would really expect a plateauing in the next couple of days, Sutton said. But we cannot be complacent and expect thats going to happen automatically. New South Wales, the only other state regarded as an active Australian virus hot spot, reported 10 new cases on Thursday. Australia enjoyed similar success as neighbouring New Zealand in suppressing the spread of COVID-19 in the early weeks of the pandemic. Australia adopted a suppression strategy while New Zealand pursued full eradication. The strategy has succeeded in New Zealand, which has gone 76 days without a community-spread infection and has active cases only among quarantined people who travelled abroad. Just as Australia was lifting its lockdown restrictions, breaches of infection controls in hotel quarantine led to community spread in Victoria state. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: Indias virus cases surged another 32,695, taking the nation closer to 1 million and forcing a new lockdown in the popular western beach state of Goa two weeks after it was reopened to tourists. The new confirmed cases took the national total to 968,876. The Health Ministry also reported a daily high of 606 deaths, taking total fatalities up to 24,915. The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at 63%. Tokyo reported 286 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a record for the city, Gov. Yuriko Koike said, raising alarm Japan may be reopening its economy too quickly. The previous record for new cases in Tokyo was 243 on July 10. Japan has never had a total lockdown but the government asked businesses to close and people to work from home under an emergency declared in April. That has been lifted and restaurants, schools and stores have reopened and people are going back to work on packed commuter trains. One reason for the recent rise is an increase in testing, Koike said. Separately, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged a need to re-examine the governments Go to campaign, which offers discounts for travel within Japan, set to start next week. We are looking at the situation with a high level of nervousness, Abe said. Tourism is among the hardest-hit sectors in the massive fallout from the pandemic, causing the worlds third largest economy to tumble into recession. Japan has confirmed fewer than 23,000 coronavirus cases and about 1,000 deaths. South Korea reported 61 new cases, most of them tied to international arrivals. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said the countrys caseload was now at 13,612, including 291 deaths. It says 12,396 people have been released from hospitals while 925 remain in treatment. The KCDC says 47 of the new cases were tied to people arriving from overseas but it didnt immediately say where they came from. South Korea has been requiring two-week quarantines on all passengers arriving from overseas since April. New coronavirus infections hit an all-time high in Hong Kong on Thursday, with 67 cases reported for the day. Authorities said 63 were locally transmitted. They could not trace the source for 35 of them. The city has so far recorded 1,656 infections with 10 deaths. Hong Kong has tightened social-distancing measures in light of the recent upsurge, restricting public gatherings to four people and banning dining-in at restaurants past 6 p.m. Businesses such as beauty salons, gyms and amusement parks have been ordered to close for a week. Chinas economy has rebounded from a painful contraction to grow by 3.2% in the latest quarter compared to a year ago. The expansion came as anti-virus lockdowns were lifted and factories and stores reopened. The reported growth was a dramatic improvement over the previous quarters 6.8% contraction that was Chinas worst performance since at least the mid-1960s. But it still was the weakest positive figure since China started reporting quarterly growth in the early 1990s. Officials with 'Post Time with Mike and Mike' have issued a preview of the upcoming episode of the show. Guests will include Nancy Takter, Pat Woods, Tim Tetrick, and David Miller. Woods will join the program from Winbak Farm to discuss the farm's Ontario yearlings that will soon be available for purchase this yearling season. Takter, Tetrick, and Miller will discuss their upcoming chances in the 2020 Meadowlands Pace. They will also discuss some of the other horses the will be racing during the stakes-laden program. The show can be heard live every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. via posttimewithmikeandmike.com or on the archive at blogtalkradio.com/ptmikeandmike. (With files from 'Post Time') After shunting out the collector, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Guna district and Inspector General (IG) of Gwalior range over the beating of a Dalit couple at Guna, the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday suspended six police personnel allegedly involved in the incident. Outgoing Guna SP Tarun Nayak issued orders suspending six police personnel including two women cops, official sources said. Ashok Singh Kushwaha, Rajendra Sharma, Pavan Yadav, Narendra Rawat, Neetu Yadav and Rani Raghuwanshi were suspended. The incident at Guna town comes ahead of bypolls to 25 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. Taking the matter seriously, the BJP government on Wednesday night transferred collector S Vishwnathan, SP Nayak and IG Rajababu Singh, a senior official said. Home minister Narottam Mishra also informed that a high-level probe had been ordered by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan into the incident. On Tuesday, a Dalit couple drank pesticide when officials tried to evict them from a piece of government land in Guna city, allotted for a college, which they were cultivating. Their condition was now said to be stable. Rajkumar Ahirwar (38) and his wife Savitri (35) had reportedly leased the land from those who had encroached on it, officials said. Police were compelled to use force against them as they resisted the eviction and refused to go to hospital after drinking pesticide, officials said. A video which went viral on social media showed the police beating the man with batons severely. Opposition Congress slammed the use of force and demanded action against those responsible for the incident. Madhya Pradesh BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma alleged that Gabbu Pardi who had allegedly encroached on the land was a Congress worker who was close to a senior Congress leader. "It is a very unfortunate incident. The government has taken it very seriously and removed the Collector, SP and IG," he said. State Congress working president and former minister Jitu Patwari termed Sharmas allegations as "baseless" and alleged that Pardi was a BJP worker. State Congress spokesman, Bhupendra Gupta demanded a probe by a sitting judge in the matter and also suspension of senior officials. Localities and all links in the tourism value chain need to join hands to boost domestic tourism, which is now a priority for the struggling industrys recovery post-pandemic, tourism experts have said. browser not support iframe. The sector has mapped out three scenarios for its recovery this year based on reopening the country to international visitors in June, September or December, Nguyen Huu Tho, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said. Whatever the scenario, the maximum number of international tourists expected is just 4.6 million while the number of domestic tourists expected is around 34 million, he told a recent meeting held in HCM City. Last year those numbers were 18 million and 82 million. For the time being, the countrys borders are firmly shut, and the industry is now focused on reopening to domestic tourism, Tho said. Domestic travel began to recover in mid-May with the launch of a national campaign titled Vietnamese People Travel in Vietnam. The campaign that will run until the end of this year aims to boost domestic tourism with the involvement of the entire value chain across airlines, hotels and resorts, restaurants, tourist sites, travel agencies, tour operators, and tourism service providers to put in place quality tourism products and service packages at reasonable prices. For now the fear of coronavirus transmission is one of the biggest barriers to domestic tourism, Tho said. It is vital to strengthen propaganda efforts to make people feel safe about travelling domestically. Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said though the coronavirus situation is now under control and the risk of community transmission is very low, it is still a major concern among travellers and holiday makers. The country is not going to open all at once, he said. The tourism sector should gradually take steps to revive domestic tourism and adhere to strict infection prevention measures, he said. Vo Anh Tai, deputy general director of Saigontourist Group, said HCM City should step up efforts to promote itself as a safe destination after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Hotels and tourist attractions in the city are complying with mandatory health and safety protocols to prevent coronavirus transmission to employees and customers, he said. The citys tourism authorities should launch stimulus programmes to encourage city residents to learn about the citys historical and cultural values, he said. Surveys show that many people in HCM City have very little knowledge about its historical and cultural attractions, he added. Vo Thi Ngoc Thuy, deputy director of the city Department of Tourism, said a campaign called Hello HCM City would be rolled out soon as part of efforts to introduce new tourism products and make over the citys tourism image. There would be a tourism stimulus programme offering 70 tours at reasonable prices with the participation of 24 travel firms and six hotels, she added. VNS Central provinces join hands to stimulate tourism At the signing ceremony on tourism development cooperation held on May 30, leaders of Thua Thien-Hue, Danang and Quang Nam agreed that cooperation is very essential. The elk skull with antlers discovered in a lake near Fenton over the Fourth of July weekend has found a temporary home at the Cranbrook Institute of Science. It is also undergoing radiocarbon testing that will shed some light on the skulls origin. Family finds elk skull with antlers in lake near Fenton, where elk havent roamed since 1875 Huawei is now facing a new patent infringement case in the US thats centered around the imaging technology in its products. The case, brought before the Eastern District of Texas by Cedar Lane Technologies, isnt limited to smartphones either. Instead, it reportedly covers a wealth of Huawei-branded devices. Including Huawei smartphones or tablets such as Huawei Mate X, Xs, 20, and 20 Pro. Or the MediaPad M5, M6, and T5. Products released under Huawei-subsidiary Honor branding are also up for question in the suit. That includes devices such as the Honor View 10 and Honor 8. Cedar Lane Technologies claims that Huawei not only infringes on the patents by releasing those devices and others for sale. It also claims Huawei was knowledgable about the patent in question. And that it had its employees internally test and use the products associated with the patent. Advertisement The plaintiff, in this case, is seeking compensation for damages as well as an award in terms of costs and fees. How this imaging patent infringement suit will play out is very much up in the air Now, this new case against already-embattled Huawei is likely a fairly daunting proposition. The company has been facing an increasing number of difficulties globally as a result of US sanctions. It has also been subject to increased scrutiny elsewhere on the legal front. Thats largely been the result of an ongoing trade war between China and the US. That has essentially ballooned into a full-on war between Washington and the Chinese tech giant. Advertisement Conversely, the patent as described in reports appears to be relatively vague. The technology in question is a method for interfacing analog/digital converting means and JPEG compression methods. Thats compression on a device with built-in memory and following a specific sequence. First, the patent describes the method as sequentially reading a predetermined number of image lines from the image data output. That description appears not to be too different, at least on the surface, from how essentially all digital cameras process and compress imaging data. And that can impact the outcome of these types of cases. So it will remain with the courts to determine whether Huawei can make its case or is forced to shell out compensation. Huawei has not responded to the claims yet In at least a couple of cases, the companys defenses and attempts to explain itself in the US have also been brushed aside outright. So it would make sense for the company to have some reservations here. And, at least for the time being, Huawei hasnt responded to the claims leveled against it with regard to this imaging patent infringement case. Its so predictable. No matter the crisis, no matter how many actual issues scream for attention in the middle of the pandemic, our legislature still finds ways to push ideas to help itself. So it is that the Republican Senate just approved a measure to change the state Constitution -- for political revenge and partisan gain. Two Chinese spy ships spotted near Taiwan during military drill ROC Central News Agency 07/15/2020 09:06 PM Taipei, July 15 (CNA) Two Chinese reconnaissance vessels were seen off the east coast of Taiwan on Wednesday, during a live-fire exercise by Taiwan's armed forces, a military source told CNA. When the presence of the two Chinese spy ships was detected, a Taiwan Navy warship was dispatched to monitor and deter them, and they eventually sailed away, said the source, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the issue. At the time, all branches of Taiwan's military were preparing to engage in a live-fire exercise at Jiupeng military base in the southeastern county of Pingtung, during which the country's major missile systems were to be test fired, according to the source. The weapons fired from the coastal base included the indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III anti-ship missiles and Tien Kung I and III anti-tactical ballistic missiles, and the U.S.-made Harpoon missiles, Patriot PAC-2 missiles, and Standard Missile 1 (SM-1), according to the military. The drill was part of Taiwan's Han Kuang series of exercises, its largest annual war games involving all branches of its armed forces, which are being held July 13-17. Prior to Wednesday, Taiwan's military had spotted the two spy ships, disguised as civilian vessels, sailing some 40 nautical miles off Orchid Island, which lies east of Taitung County, the source told CNA. On Wednesday morning, just before the missile exercise began, the two Chinese vessels were again seen approaching Orchid Island, the source added. Taiwan's military suspected that the two spy ships were collecting intelligence on the weapon systems and missiles used during the live-fire exercise in Pingtung, which simulated Taiwan's counterattack against a Chinese invasion by sea, according to the source. The Ching Chiang-class patrol ship dispatched by Taiwan's Navy has electronic warfare equipment that can monitor Chinese vessels and block any efforts to obtain intelligence, the source said, adding that the two Chinese vessels left the area at about 8 a.m. The live-fire drills will end Friday, and the second stage of the annual Han Kuang exercises, which comprises computerized war games, will be held Sept. 14-18. (By Lu Tai-cheng and Joseph Yeh) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A heartbroken father who tried in vain to rescue his baby daughter and young stepson from a horrific inferno has revealed he feels like he 'let down' his babies. Des Cooke whisked two children to safety when an inferno tore through their family, but was unable to save eight-year-old Brayden and his baby sister Arianna. Along with his partner Nicole Mulligan, Mr Cooke escaped with two of their children, Lucas, six, and Brianna, two, as flames engulfed their Christchurch home about 10.45pm on Tuesday. But little Brayden didn't make it out, and neither did his baby sister, who was just nine months old. When Mr Cooke realised the house was on fire, he desperately tried to save the children - even crawling back in when he realised Brayden hadn't escaped. Scroll down for video Brayden (pictured), eight, and Arianna, nine months, died in the blaze in Christchurch, New Zealand, at 10.45 on Tuesday night Mr Cooke initially assumed Brayden had escaped out the front with his brother, so he focused his efforts on trying to save nine-month-old Arianna. 'She was my precious girl. She lit up my heart with her infectious smile... I tried my absolute best to save my baby,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'But I couldn't. I just couldn't enter the room. The flames and smoke were unbearable. I tried to push past it but I just wasn't able to.' When he finally conceded and made his way out of the burning building, he realised Brayden had never made it out - and desperately turned back to save him. 'I crawled back inside the house to search for him. A neighbour came with me but we were unsuccessful. They literally dragged me out of there,' he said. Arianna's father, Des Cooke (pictured), visited Brayden's grandparents in the hospital room where he apologised for not being able to do more for Brayden Nine-month-old Arianna (pictured) also died in the blaze. A neighbour said he can't get the children's screams out of his head It is believed little Brayden had tried to save Arianna after his tiny body was found in fire-damaged doorway of her bedroom. Mr Cooke told Daily Mail Australia little Brayden adored his 'wee sister'. 'He had a very caring, loving soul and nature,' Mr Cooke said. 'He was the most gentle, caring boy you'd ever meet... He loved his wee sister.' Mr Cooke said he'd received plenty of praise for his actions since the fire, but felt like he had failed his family. 'People keep calling me a hero. I sure don't feel like one,' he said. 'I let two children down.' Brayden's grandmother, Angela Martin, told Stuff she learned of the fire shortly after it tore through the family home. Arianna (pictured) died in the fire. Her mother later said she thought she was 'having a nightmare' Ms Mulligan called her in hysterics to tell her half of her family had perished in the fire. 'She said to me, ''my babies have died, I'm having a nightmare'',' Ms Martin revealed. The grandmother then had to call her son Shaun Gibson, Brayden's biological father, and pass on the news to him. 'I heard his voice and I just started howling on the phone and I had to hand the phone to my husband,' she said. Ms Martin and her husband arrived at the scene just as Brayden's body was being taken away by an ambulance. Arianna's father visited them in the hospital room where he apologised for not being able to do more for Brayden. Nicole Mulligan, her partner Des Cooke (pictured together) and two of their children, six-year-old Lucas and two-year-old Brianna escaped as flames engulfed their Christchurch home about 10.45pm on Tuesday 'He walked into the room and just said ''I tried so hard, I'm so sorry, I tried'',' Ms Martin said. Fire area commander Mike Bowden described the blaze, particularly near Arianna's room, as 'unsurvivable'. Firefighters retrieved the boy from the home, but neighbour Matt Fitzsimmons said 'you could just see it was too late,' he told Stuff. Mr Fitzsimmons and his wife Theresa had been watching TV in bed when they heard screaming. When he realised their neighbours' windows were bright orange with smoke billowing from the crevices, he ran outside and grabbed the hose. As he tried to extinguish the flames, he heard the father yelling 'my baby's inside'. 'The sound, the kids, the flames, the roar, the glass, the guy screaming out my baby ... I was seeing everything firsthand, it's just something I never thought I would ever have to deal with,' he said. Lynn Baughan was among the people who tried to help the 'hysterical' father save Arianna, not realising at the time his son was also inside. 'We went in on our knees and had a look around, smoke and fire was everywhere. I told him we had to get out, it wasn't safe.' Neighbour Corey Dunnill said he 'can't get the screaming out of my head'. Fire and rescue rushed to the scene but it was too late to save the young children The 22-year-old grabbed a hose and tried to extinguish the flames, before he saw a body being dragged out of the smoke. A Give A Little fundraiser page was set up by a relative to raise money for the family who lost two children and all their possessions. It has already raised more than $114,000 for the family. 'Your donations will help the family of Brayden and Arianna cover funeral costs and help them get back on their feet without the financial burden that will accompany this horrific loss,' it said. Vicki-Anne Parker, founder of Christchurch charity NZ Gifts of Love and Strength has created care packages for the family with donations from the community. 'I think it's amazing, once again Christchurch comes out as a resilient city and wants to help people going through a tragedy, it's just so heartwarming,' she said. A spokesperson from Fire Emergency New Zealand confirmed four crews attended the scene at 10.47pm. Detectives section the home off to determine the cause of the fire. 'Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand remain at the scene today,' police said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 20:50:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has been looking forward to the arrival of Russian tourists with the resumption of air travel between the two countries, some Turkish tourism sector representatives said Thursday. Turkish transport and infrastructure minister Adil Karaismailoglu announced on Wednesday that the two countries had agreed to resume their mutual flights after three and a half months of suspension due to COVID-19. "The agreement promised hope for the future of the Turkish tourism sector, which has been passing through challenging times due to the spread of coronavirus," Firuz Baglikaya, head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, told Xinhua. He noted that Russia is the most important market for Turkey's tourism industry, and it has a strategic significance for the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, which are among the most popular destinations of Russian tourists in the country. Due to the pandemic, the number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey started to plummet rapidly from March onwards. According to the latest official data, nearly 30,000 tourists visited the country in May this year, down from 4 million visitors during the same period in 2019. Turkey hosted 45 million tourists last year, including over 5 million Russian travelers, generating a total of 34.5 billion U.S. dollars of revenue. "Russian tourists act as a locomotive in the development of our country's tourism," Baglikaya stressed, noting that Turkey would be happy to host its Russian guests and do its best to make them return to their country with good memories. Turkey has so far resumed international flights with 32 countries, including Russia, and has been negotiating with 20 others, according to Karaismailoglu. Burhan Sili, president of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association, told reporters that Turkey's tour operators in Russia are planning to launch their "charter" flights by the end of July. "That means that we will see a vital dynamism in the region that would increase the morale and motivation of the industry," Sili was quoted as saying by the Demiroren news agency on Thursday. With its five-star hotels and holiday villages, Alanya, a district of the Mediterranean province of Antalya, is the most preferred location of Russian tourists. Meanwhile, Turkey's national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, told Xinhua on Thursday that it has been waiting for a green light from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to be able to resume its scheduled flights with Russia. Turkish airline companies had partially resumed their domestic operations on June 1 and international flights on June 11, in line with the easing of the COVID-19 measures. The Bay Area has been slowly lifting social distancing restrictions on businesses and gathering places, though the full reopening of restaurants has garnered a mixed reaction. Some diners are excited to get out again, while for many others, the prospect of eating next to strangers sparks a great deal of anxiety. Reactions among restaurant owners and workers is similarly mixed, with some eager to get back to work and others decrying the systemic failures that led them to a lose-lose situation. Inspired by similar work by Abigail Koffler, writer of the This Needs Hot Sauce newsletter, I solicited peoples thoughts on reopening on Instagram a few weeks ago. I received hundreds of responses from diners, restaurant workers and owners, and even a few infectious disease experts. The following is a sampling of what I got, though I also took the step of following up via phone with some to ask for elaboration. At the time, Marin and Napa counties had gone further in the reopening process than anywhere else in the Bay Area, with indoor dining resuming; San Francisco was on track to allow the same on July 13. But after a surge in COVID-19 cases in the region and the state, some of those allowances have been set back. Reopening is complicated, and getting into the nitty-gritty of it matters. The simple word reopening blurs over the very careful and specific allowances that well need to progress through for a full return to normalcy. Generally speaking, most of the people I talked to for this story were fine with restaurants offering takeout but when the topic moved to outdoor dining, impressions were much less consistent. The following interviews have been edited for clarity and length. The caterer Christina Wilson, chef of the Pleasure Principle Supperclub & Dining Events in Oakland Reopening feels like a gesture toward normalcy that were not ready for nor prepared for. In addition to the health crisis and the fear aspect of it, heaped upon that is the financial crisis. Youre asking yourself if you should be ethically continuing to endeavor in a field where you have to make and prepare food for people. And wondering whether youre exposing them or you and what youre bringing home to your family. But cooking is what you know how to do, so you have to do it. That part feels inherent. There should have been something in place for all of us to not be this worried about losing our livelihoods, homes, businesses. If you dont rush and reopen, you might be forgotten as an establishment. Now, I take two to three hours a day making calls, be it demanding justice for murder or asking legislators to take action on the economy. We might have had universal basic income in the first place. But we dont. It just bums me out. Im doing what Im supposed to do as an entrepreneur: creating jobs, strengthening the economy and creating opportunities. Thats what makes for a better community. Still, even if you do your part and pay your taxes, you just get let down. The diner Noelle Trinidad, photographer in San Francisco After being cooped up in my apartment with my 3-year-old daughter for three months and the state of world affairs, my seventh wedding anniversary and Fathers Day, I thought that it would be a nice change of scenery to go out to Fishermans Wharf and eat at Scomas. In my head, it would be a way to celebrate making it this far and being alive. The location is great, its off of the main drag and its a sorta locals secret, so I knew it wouldnt be too crowded. Cant beat watching fog rolling by while eating delicious crab cakes and calamari, and they were on point with cleaning and precaution. After my experience at Scomas, I will use it as my ruler for other restaurants. In comparison to other cities, I think San Francisco is doing OK. I think outdoor seating is good. Now I tip up to 40 percent of the total bill, not the usual 15 to 20 percent. My husband currently works in food service, and in high school and college I worked in the industry as well. We appreciate and notice when people are busting their asses to serve us to make us feel at home. With the mandated safety precautions added on to their regular responsibilities and the stress of potentially contracting/giving COVID-19, we hope a little extra tip will help in these trying times. The Michelin-starred chef Christopher Kostow, executive chef of the Restaurant at Meadowood and owner of the Charter Oak, both in St. Helena From the get-go, we were like, shut it down, and I was trying to get all the restaurants to do it locally. Weve always been motivated first and foremost by some sense of public duty. Were analyzing every decision in that light: As the coronavirus cases are rising, should we remain open? I dont know that theres an answer other than to say, Charter Oak has always had outside seating its safer and people feel safer eating there. And our sanitary protocols I feel very good about. At Meadowood, which reopened July 1, its the same: People are seated outside and were doing everything we can to mitigate harm. I was telling the team, we have to be great not because were an expensive restaurant but in spite of it. Especially with all the things happening now, be it the pandemic or Black Lives Matter, we have to ask ourselves as chefs, as businesspeople, what is the point? Why should we do this? Why should we think this is OK in light of this happening in the world? So whats the best for the team? I think being open, working together and working toward a singular goal is what we all need right now. I always come back to the idea that the creation of beauty and the process that comes along with it has inherent value. There is something inherent in the act and the resulting product that hopefully may serve as a salve in even the most challenging days. The omakase restaurant owner Tan Truong, co-owner of Hina Yakitori and Ju-Ni in San Francisco Reopening doesnt make sense for our businesses. You can reopen eventually, but its going to be at 50% capacity with social distancing, face coverings. Half capacity doesnt work numbers-wise for restaurants like mine that have 14 seats each thats seven people per seating. At the counter, the chef is not 6 feet away from you. Then also, the experience is just different. You want to go in there to have a conversation with the chef and hear about food preparations. It just takes away from that when you have a mask on or a piece of Plexiglas in front or next to you. Thats not the experience that we thought people would want to pay for at Ju-Ni or Hina. So well keep doing what were doing now. Takeout is keeping us safe: keeping the restaurants running, the doors open, the people paid and insured. Safe. When does this go back to business as usual? Realistically, not until theres a vaccine out there and we know that theres an actual solution to this. Right now this just feels like theres no solution. Everybodys grabbing at straws trying to figure out how this ends. The pop-up founder Christopher Russell, co-owner of Reds House in South San Francisco Im trying to stay optimistic but finding myself becoming more depressed. I miss providing an experience for people. I miss laughing with guests making jokes. With the takeout thing, Im wearing a mask, greeting people at a loading dock. I put the food down, they take the food. Theres no real connection. But I still think we reopened too soon. People who are going to clubs and such are being selfish. They need to realize theres a bigger picture. Maybe youre not showing symptoms, but youre affecting so many other people. Everyone needs to take a collective approach to this: We need to think of how to protect each other. At the same time, my bills are due. My credit card is due. Im buying supplies for service with my credit card. Were only just starting to break even because of the Black Lives Matter movement inspiring people to support Black-owned businesses, but before that I was really drowning. I dont even let my mom know how hard it is. I dont want to burden her with that. If I can just keep things going for as long as possible ... The back waiter Sarah Tralka, who works at a Berkeley restaurant Calling essential workers heroes has no tangible value to those workers (and I have a whole other issue with which people are considered essential and therefore forced to work). Especially coming from government officials who could be offering real support to vulnerable people, it feels so shallow and empty. If were so grateful and so indebted to these people, why arent we offering them free health care? Hazard pay? Reducing work hours to limit exposure? Paid time off for people who dont feel safe working in a pandemic? Its like the essential-worker equivalent of thoughts and prayers. The attitude of diners is so deeply entrenched in entitlement that they have decided that worker safety is less important than being waited on. We saw it all the time pre-pandemic, that customers feel so entitled to their experience that workers are expected to work in conditions ranging from uncomfortable to invasive and unsafe for the sake of preserving that experience. And now, during the pandemic its never been more clear that for a lot of people clamoring to reopen, our lives just matter less than being served. The infectious disease expert Chesa Cox, public health analyst at San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF My main thing against eating out right now is that infectious diseases give no fs about your socioeconomic status or state/city lines, and people are starting to travel. A big part of travel is eating, and I worry that people from places with less concern for COVID (like Arizona) will go to other states/cities with better public health policies and infect the population there. We still have no vaccine and the best treatment is still being researched, and essential workers/vulnerable people still cant access testing. If COVID-19 continues to circulate through the summer at high rates, public health workers are super worried about fall/winter when flu season kicks up again. The restaurant general manager Who works at a Marina District restaurant and asked to remain anonymous My bosses have totally discredited my fears and my employees fears. They just want money and have no empathy toward the people who are showing up every day to run their business. Were currently building parklets in front of the restaurant so people can eat there, but I dont have any staff. No one wants to come back to work. I dont want to come back to work. Im terrified. Were constantly washing everything and telling people to wear face masks. Its a really difficult situation. I care about my staff so much and I dont want them in danger. Its their decision to come to work, but I want them to feel safe when theyre here. Dealing with Marina kids as customers, its like the last three months didnt mean anything. I didnt take a pay cut to do takeout for three months and for us to reopen and for you to act like nothing happened. I think its a little too soon. I understand everyone has cabin fever, but come on. Were in hospitality for a reason; we want to take care of people. Restaurants mean a lot to me, and Im sure other people feel the same way. But its really frustrating when you have to be the police. Saying I cant serve you if youre not wearing a mask, having little arguments with customers all the time. I dont know what to say, and I feel defeated. I want restaurants to come back and everyone to have a great time, I want my servers to make money, but I also want everyone to stay at home so we can fix this. Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com business 3 Point Analysis | What will be the impact of RILs ambitious tech plans Let's understand what these tech announcements mean for Reliance Industries Toronto police are warning the public about taxi drivers pocketing debit cards during late-night rides. Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu of 14 Division says shes been assigned to look into five separate incidents of taxi fraud since the beginning of July. In each case, the driver pocketed a debit card while distracting passengers using debit card machines for payment. The police division covers the Annex, Christie-Ossignton, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Waterfront, South Parkdale and Trinity Bellwoods. The taxi drivers stole the cards late at night between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., and switched riders debit cards with alternates while the passengers were distracted, Sidhu said. Those who had their cards stolen were picked up at College Street and Ossington Avenue, Queen Street West and Bathurst Street, Yonge Street and Adelaide Street, King Street West and Spadina Avenue, and Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue. No particular taxi service was linked to the fraud, and Sidhu said police are still uncertain whether one driver or more are responsible. They have yet to settle on a description of the suspect or suspects. We had numerous taxi scams in past years, including at the beginning of 2020. Over the past couple of months, they seemed to have stopped as I didnt see any in my workflow, Sidhu told the Star. The public need to be mindful of their debit card, and ensure they keep possession of their card at all times, she said. Sidhu said passengers can avoid using debit if theyre concerned about falling prey to the scam. LONDON Europes top court on Thursday struck down a trans-Atlantic agreement that allows scores of companies to move data between the European Union and the United States, causing uncertainty for businesses that rely on moving digital information seamlessly around the world. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that the agreement, known as Privacy Shield, did not comply with European privacy rights. Privacy Shield, created in 2016, allows businesses in the European Union and the United States to move data more easily between the two regions. More than 5,000 companies use the system. The decision is the latest twist in a long-running campaign by privacy-rights activists in Europe who want to prevent companies from moving their personal information to countries with looser data protection rules. The efforts stem from revelations in 2013 by the American former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden about how U.S. government surveillance programs collected electronic communications from private businesses. The overall effect of the courts decision was not immediately clear beyond creating a dizzying amount of new work for corporate legal departments. Few expect a sudden disruption for moving data between Europe and the United States. Before the decision was announced, European officials played down the potential fallout, saying plans were in place to ensure commerce would not be interrupted. American and European officials will now try to negotiate a new deal for transferring digital information. TORONTO, July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (Kirkland Lake Gold or the Company) (TSX:KL) (NYSE:KL) (ASX:KLA) today announced that the suspension of operations at the Companys Holt Complex, in effect since April 2, 2020, will be extended until further notice. The Company suspended business activities at the Complex as part of its COVID-19 protocols, and at the same time continued with a strategic review to assess a potential restart of the operations. The Holt Complex, including the Holt, Taylor and Holloway mines and Holt Mill, was designated as non-core by the Company on February 19, 2020 with the Company planning to consider all options to maximize the value of the assets. The Complexs high cost structures, low grades, diminishing reserves and requirements for new investments have resulted in significant negative cash flows from these operations, and are key drivers of our decision to extend the suspension of business activities. Tony Makuch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kirkland Lake Gold, commented: When we transitioned Holt Complex to suspended operations in early April, our first step was to provide base wages to all affected workers for the first month. We also began working to identify opportunities to re-assign as many employees as possible from the Complex to new roles at other sites within our Canadian Operations. I am pleased to report that, to date, more than 220 employees at Holt Complex, from a total workforce of 475 people, have been re-assigned to new positions, or have recently been offered new roles within the organization. In cases where it is not possible to find alternative employment arrangements, and where employees have been on an extended temporary layoff, we now believe that the best course of action is to provide severance packages. Extending the suspension of operations at Holt Complex was a difficult decision. I want to personally thank everyone at the Complex for their efforts and contribution to our company. Going forward, we will continue to review strategic options for the Holt Complex properties, including the potential for additional exploration activities in the area. About Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. is a growing gold producer operating in Canada and Australia that produced 974,615 ounces in 2019. The production profile of the Company is anchored by three high-quality operations, including the Macassa Mine and Detour Lake Mine, both located in Northern Ontario, and the Fosterville Mine located in the state of Victoria, Australia. Kirkland Lake Gold's solid base of quality assets is complemented by district scale exploration potential, supported by a strong financial position with extensive management expertise. For further information on Kirkland Lake Gold and to receive news releases by email, visit the website at www.kl.gold . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of Kirkland Lake Gold with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and include information regarding the suspension of operations at the Holt Complex, and anticipated effects thereof and the ability of the Holt Complex to fully resume operations in the future, if at all. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect Kirkland Lake Gold's management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although Kirkland Lake Gold believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the future impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic and the risk of future shut downs as a result thereof; future development and growth potential of the Companys projects; future exploration activities planned at the Holt Complex and the Companys Canadian and Australian properties as a whole; risks relating to equity investments; risks relating to first nations and Aboriginal heritage; the availability of infrastructure, energy and other commodities; nature and climactic conditions; currency exchange rates (such as the Canadian dollar and the Australian dollar versus the United States dollar); risks associated with dilution; labour and employment matters; risks in the event of a potential conflict of interest; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; and compliance with extensive government regulation. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of Kirkland Lake Gold and market conditions. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in filings made by Kirkland Lake Gold, including its annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2019 and financial statements and related MD&A for the interim period ended March 31, 2020 filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com and www.edgar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Kirkland Lake Gold has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Kirkland Lake Gold does not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates Certain terms referenced in this news release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") - CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended (the "CIM Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators, which established standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. The terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve" and "probable mineral reserve" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards. These definitions differ materially from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act. In addition, the terms "Mineral Resource", "measured Mineral Resource", "indicated Mineral Resource" and "Inferred Mineral Resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in very limited circumstances. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource exists, will ever be converted into a Mineral Reserve or is or will ever be economically or legally mineable or recovered. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Anthony Makuch, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director Phone: +1 416-840-7884, E-mail: tmakuch@kl.gold Mark Utting, Senior Vice-President, Investor Relations Phone: +1 416-840-7884, E-mail: mutting@kl.gold This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Sinclair Lewiss novel Main Street, the breakthrough work of an author who would become, a decade later, the first American awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Harry Sinclair Lewis was born in 1885 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, which he later described as a prairie village in that most Scandinavian part of America, Minnesota, the son of a country doctor. After a childhood and adolescence of voracious reading, he attended Oberlin College for one year and from there went on, at his fathers insistence, to Yale University, earning money along the way by doing newspaper work and even, one summer, travelling to England and back as a hired hand aboard a cattle ship. And always he was writing. In all, Lewis published 24 novels, including six books of varying seriousness prior to Main Street. The latter, his first important work, was an enormous success, selling 180,000 copies in its first six months and within a few years, an estimated 2 million. Sinclair Lewis in 1914 In the following decade and a half, Lewis produced what readers and critics generally consider his most important books, namely Babbitt (1922), Arrowsmith (1925), Elmer Gantry (1927), Dodsworth (1929) and It Cant Happen Here (1935). Although Lewis, who died in 1951, has long since fallen from the syllabi of high school and college American literature courses, his major works merit reading a century or so later not only for their engaging storytelling and the vivid chronicle they offer of American middle class life in the first half of the twentieth century in particular, but also for their withering satirical attack on the hypocrisies, and worse, of that American life. Main Street tells the story of Carol Kennicott. When we meet her, in the first decade of the last century, she is still Carol Milford, a highly sensitive but moderately talented co-ed at the fictional Blodgett College on the outskirts of Minneapolis. Carol yearns to conquer the worldalmost entirely for the worlds own goodbut cannot determine how to accomplish this feat. With a humor that is characteristically frank yet sympathetic, Lewis tells us that at various times during Senior year Carol finally decided upon studying law, writing motion-picture scenarios, professional nursing, and marrying an unidentified hero. Such vacillation on Carols part seems at first the result of youthful wistfulness, but the beauty of her character is that, as Lewis warns us early on, Whatever she might become, she would never be static. After a few dull years working as a librarian in St. Paul, Carol meets and marries the solid Dr. Will Kennicott of Gopher Prairie, feeling for him an affection short of love that will evolve through moods and complications to form as clear-eyed a portrayal of a marriage as is to be found in American literature. (In the marriage to a doctor and the banality of small-town life, there are obvious hints of Gustave Flauberts Madame Bovary, 1856.) Kennicotts Gopher Prairie is a market town loosely based on Lewiss hometown of Sauk Centre, but generic of Midwest prairie towns of the time in its ad hoc ugliness and devotion to money-making. Kennicott persuades the relatively, and self-consciously, urbane Carol to travel back with him and make Gopher Prairie artistic, pleading with her, Make us change! First edition cover of Main Street The prospect of beautifying one of these prairie towns ignites in her a passionate enthusiasm, and the novel follows Carols various schemes for accomplishing this mission, from attempting to build a beautiful town hall to wishing to produce edifying plays by George Bernard Shaw. Time and again her efforts bump up against the complacence and venality of her neighbors, and Carol contemplates what it is that makes the more intelligent young people (and the fortunate widows!) flee to the cities with agility and not come back in passages such as this: It is an unimaginatively standardized background, a sluggishness of speech and manners, a rigid ruling of the spirit by the desire to appear respectable. It is contentmentthe contentment of the quiet dead, who are scornful of the living for their restless walking. It is to Carols credit as a character, and Lewiss as a novelist, that her understanding of Gopher Prairie and her relationship to it are not summed up in such passages. At times she is filled with compassion for the towns inhabitants and at others becomes swept up by the beauty of the countryside and is convinced that she loves Gopher Prairie. Such moments of peace, though, Lewis likens to the contentment of the lost hunter stopping to rest. Throughout Main Street, Lewis sees to it that Carols consciousness develops, growing more complex as she continuously examines town life, her marriage and herself. Further, her restless spirither dedication to beauty, to frankness, to justice for the farmers who are exploited by the towns businesses, to her own fulfillment as a human beingnever flags, making her one of the most compelling female characters in American literature. As she says of herself near the end of the novel, Ive never excused my failures by sneering at my aspirations, by pretending to have gone beyond them. As noted above, Main Street was an instant bestseller and its publication a national literary event. As Lewiss biographer Mark Schorer remarks in Sinclair Lewis: An American Life (1961), It was the most sensational event in twentieth-century American publishing history. Part of the novels importance at the time was that it partook of both fame and infamy. Schorer again: No reader was indifferent to Main Street: if it was not the most important revelation of American life ever made, it was the most infamous libel upon it. The novels popularity and influence were underscored by the fact that the phrase Main Street became a common term denoting a particularly American brand of philistinism. In 1930, Lewis observed that the novel had been a succes de scandale, because one of the most treasured American myths had been that all American villages were peculiarly noble and happy, and here an American attacked that myth. Scandalous. Some hundreds of thousands read the book with the same masochistic pleasure that one has in sucking an aching tooth. Lewiss greatest strength as a novelist was his sensitive detection of large social forces as they work themselves out culturally and in the desires and behavior of individuals. Carol Kennicott, for instance, in addition to constituting an intensely detailed and convincing consciousness, serves for Lewis as an embodiment of middle-class liberalism. She imagines improvements to Gopher Prairie that will make the town more pleasant to look at and live in, and she significantly wants to ease the discomfort of the economically oppressed, as when she dresses up the rest room that Gopher Prairie grudgingly provides for the wives of farmers who have been brought to G.P. on market day. Yet Carol is also easily discouraged, giving way to personal emotion when she meets with resistance or ingratitude. And though she occasionally mouths socialistic sentiments, she has no stomach whatever for the hard, unglamorous work of political organization. (Toward the end of the novel she does lend a hand to the suffrage movement, but she notes the vast difference between herself and those women who are truly committed to the work.) Among Sinclair Lewiss most astute observations along these lines are the connections he is able to draw between small-town politics and full-blown political reaction, as well as his recognition that the latter is primarily an anti-working class, anti-socialist phenomenon. His remarkable novel Babbitt is his first to explore these themes in any depth, with the boosterism practiced by businessmen like George F. Babbitt (again, Lewis contributed something to the English language) in the fictional city of Zenith, Ohio, shown to be at once inane in its promotion of pep and zip, and sinister in its suspicion of those who would challenge the premises of the money-worshipping life. A glimpse of Babbitt can already be seen in Main Street, in the person of Honest Jim Blausser, a land speculator and hustler who comes to Gopher Prairie to boost it, that is, to make it grow, and who delivers demagogic speeches against all knockers of prosperity and the rights of property. In It Cant Happen Here, Lewis confronts fascism head on. While the novel may not compare favorably with his novels of the 1920s as a work of art, its analyses of fascismas a tool of capitalism, as ruthless toward opponents and as fundamentally irrationaland of specifically American demagoguery make it valuable reading in 2020 America. Burzelius Buzz Windrip is a senator with dictatorial aspirations, intended by Lewis to echo the populist governor of Louisiana, Huey P. Long. The Senator was vulgar, almost illiterate, a public liar easily detected, and in his ideas almost idiotic. Like Donald Trump and others, Windrip is a symptom of the objective conditions of his time, a worldwide depression and the rise of fascism in Europe, and in It Cant Happen Here, an obviously ironic title, Lewis considers seriously and with insight just what an American corporatist (Windrips word) authoritarianism might look like and how the American people might respond. Missing from Lewiss analysis in the novel, as from his social outlook generally, is any grasp of the working class as a potentially revolutionary force. And 1934, the year before the novel was published, had witnessed three historic strikes (in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Toledo) that shook the ruling class to its core. What little hope It Cant Happen Here offers is concentrated in the liberal middle class, and at that in its most individualistic elements, as in the person of Doremus Jessup, the books newspaperman protagonist. Lewiss reputation has suffered sharply over the years, to the benefit of more or less contemporary figures, such as Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos and William Faulkner, and to more recent ones. However, despite their shortcomings, It Cant Happen Here and Main Streetalong with Lewiss other novels of the 20sare well worth reading, both as literary art and as contributions to our understanding of American life. NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP >> In the wake of several pedestrian fatalities, the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors is moving forward with a multi-pronged plan to improve safety along Sycamore Street, the townships downtown commercial corridor. At its Jan. 13 meeting, the board voted unanimously to follow the short term and long term recommendations of its traffic engineer, Derek Kennedy, who was... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Thu, July 16, 2020 09:45 552 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666b4b2d 2 Sports Dakar,senegal,Youth-Olympic-Games,Olympics-postponement,coronavirus,coronavirus-effect,COVID-19,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free The 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar will now take place instead in 2026, the IOC and hosts Senegal announced on Wednesday. The four-year delay was forced by the global health crisis generated by coronavirus, and the holding back by a year of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and a slew of other major international sporting competitions. "The postponement of Dakar 2022 allows the IOC, the National Olympic Committees and the International Federations to better plan their activities, which have been strongly affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," read a joint statement issued by Olympic rulers the IOC and Senegal. "The IOC and Senegal understand that this news will be disappointing for many young athletes. Both parties can only appeal to their understanding," it added. IOC chief Thomas Bach thanked Senegal president President Macky Sall for their "exceptional relationship of trust and quality". "I am sure that, together, we will organize fantastic Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 for Senegal, the entire African continent and all the young athletes of the world," Bach said. The four-year delay was ratified by the IOC on the fist day of its conference moved from its intended location in Tokyo to video link. "I take this opportunity to reaffirm my confidence in the Executive Board and welcome the commitment of its teams, working side by side with us, to make Dakar 2026, the first Olympic event in Africa, a successful and memorable occasion," said President Sall. Singapore held the inaugural Summer Youth Games in 2010. Now Mandatory for Aged Care in Lock Down Zones Workers to Wear Surgical Masks Australias federal health minister Greg Hunt announced on July 13 that it will be mandatory for aged care workers in locked down zones to wear surgical face masks, concerned by the outbreaks of the CCP virus. Speaking on Nines Today Show on July 15, Hunt said, I think if we are honest, there will be more lives lost, and there will be people admitted to ICU and more on ventilation. Four million masks were made available for over 60,000 aged care staff. This is in addition to one million masks provided for health workers last week. According to Hunt, this will immediately assist an estimated 449 residential aged care facilities and 425 home care providers, with a total of 60,427 aged care recipients in these services. Currently, eight Victorian aged care facilities have residents with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. Staff at a further 24 nursing homes have tested positive for the virus. There are 111 people hospitalised with COVID-19, the highest in a day since April 29, where there were 93 patients. Also, 28 people are in ICU and Hunt said 21 are on ventilation. Australia Trials New Anti-Viral Drug Australia has also become one of the first nations in the world to offer treatment with an anti-viral drug known as remdesivir, commonly known as Veklury. Remdesivir received provisional approval from Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on July 12, the health minister announced in a media release on July 13. The drug which has been touted as being able to reduce recovery times for COVID-19 will be used as part of a strategy to enable patients to leave hospital earlier, freeing beds for those in need, said Hunt. Australia, through TGA, is one of the first regulators in the world to authorise the use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19, following on from recent approvals in European Union, Japan, and Singapore, said Hunt. Trials on remdesivir were held in the United States and China earlier this year but yielded mixed results. Trials held in Wuhan, China, between February and March 2020 were dismissed because an insufficient number of people were tested to conclude the drugs effectiveness. Of the two trials held in the United States, one showed that COVID-19 recovery time reduced from 15 days to 11. It is not a prevention or a cure for those with mild symptoms, but it is an important part of our response to support those who are most impacted. Remdesivir has been shown to assist those who have been hospitalised with COVID symptoms, Hunt said Victoria has already recorded three more deaths in the past week from COVID-19, taking the states total in 27. On July 14 and 15 a man and woman, in their 80s, and a woman in her 90s, died from the disease. Nationally, 111 deaths have been attributed to the CCP virus. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's top court fined on Thursday Romania and Ireland for delays and incomplete application of the bloc's rules against money laundering and terrorist financing, it said in a statement. Romania was ordered to pay to the European Commission a lump sum of 3 million euros, while Ireland was fined 2 million euros. "Both member states failed to transpose in full, within the period prescribed, the directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing," the court said, referring to anti-money laundering rules adopted by the EU in 2015. Those rules reinforced surveillance requirements for banks, lawyers and accountants and mandated more transparency on company owners. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; Editing by Alison Williams) The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in State agencies continued to surge Wednesday forcing the affected ministries to scale down operations. The ministries of Treasury and ICT sent notices to their staff announcing the scaling down of operations to minimise further spread of the new coronavirus after dozens of employees tested positive for the virus. In a memo, from the Principle Administrative Secretary at the National Treasury to all staff seen by the Nation, the staff were informed that 10 employees have tested positive for Covid-19. The memo also said that 200 people will be tested per day from July 14 to July 16. "The Ministry of Health will be conducting testing of all staff of the National Treasury," the memo reads. Meanwhile, all operations and services at the head office of the Ministry of ICT were scaled down following the death of an employee. Several workers at the headquarters were also confirmed to be infected with the virus. These notices come just two days after the Public Service Commission (PSC) announced scaling down operations to minimise the spread of coronavirus after 10 employees tested positive. PSC Chief Executive Simon Rotich said targeted testing showed that 10 workers had the virus. The commission said work would be scaled down for 14 days, effective July 13 and that access to the offices would be restricted. "In this regard, staff and interns will be required to proceed for self-isolation. During this period, access to commission offices will be restricted except where there is prior clearance," Mr Rotich said in a memo to the workers. New Delhi: The China Study Group (CSG) headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met on Wednesday evening to discuss the emerging situation in Ladakh and how to proceed further with China. Army chief MM Naravane, Northern army commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi and 14 corps head Lt Gen Harinder Singh, who has been negotiating with his Chinese counterpart on disengagement, are reported to have attended the CSG meeting. CSG, which is apex policy advisor to the government on China discussed the outcome of the 4th Corps Commanders meeting between India and China, said sources. The CSG meeting took place at a time when there are indications that the second phase of disengagement between India and China is going to be tough and will need more negotiations. Army gave a briefing about the Corps Commanders meeting and overall ground situation at the line of actual control (LAC). Cabinet secretary and secretaries of home, defence and finance and representatives of the intelligence agencies are part of the CSG. The Corps Commanders meeting between India and China on Tuesday went for 15 hours to finish at around 2 am in the morning (4:30 am Beijing time). Sources said that there were hard negotiations from both sides. However, there is still no official word yet on the meeting. The CSG meeting is likely to give direction on how to take negotiations further with China. India wants China to completely disengage from Pangong Tso and Depsang plains besides reducing its troops strength from LAC where China has amassed tanks, artillery and radars, jammers. Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the 4th Corps Commanders meeting achieved progress in pushing forward disengagement of frontline border troops from both countries and easing border situation. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will visit forward areas in LAC and LoC this week to take stock of the situation. Mr Singh, who will be accompanied by Army Chief will visit Ladakh on July 17 and Srinagar on July 18. A special meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, under Mr Singh on Wednesday delegated the powers for buying urgent weapons and ammunition upto Rs 300 crores to the armed forces to meet their emergent operational requirements. This will shrink the procurement timelines and ensure placement of orders within six months and commencement of deliveries within one year, said the defence ministry. It said that the special meeting was called considering the security environment due to the prevailing situation along the Northern borders and the need to strengthen the armed forces for the defence of our borders. In the last meeting on June 30, 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Singh and South Xinjiang Military Region, commander Maj Gen Liu Lin had agreed to mutually move back their troops in flash points by upto 2 kilometers in the Ladakh sector to bring down chances of a confrontation. However, further movement of troops away from flash points will not be easy, said sources. Last week Indian and Chinese troops completed their initial phase of disengagement from flashpoints by mutually moving back from Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, Gogra Post and finger 4 area of Pangong Tso. However, in Pangong Tso Chinese are still occupying ridges in finger 4. Chinese troops still have to vacate area between finger 5 and finger 8, which India claims is its territory. In May 2020, Chinese troops in an aggressive move occupied the area between Finger 4 to Finger 8 and prevented Indian troops from patrolling the area. Twitter hackers who used high-profile accounts to convince users to give them money walked away with more than $116,000 in bitcoins. Wednesday's breach - said to be one of the largest hacks in history - worked on several unsuspecting Twitter users and secured the hackers 12.86644654 BTC from 378 transactions, according to public blockchain records. Of that total, 12.85345191 BTC has already been sent out from the account. That translates to approximately $116,602. Wednesday's breach - said to be one of the largest hacks in history - worked on several unsuspecting Twitter users and secured the hackers 12.86644654 BTC from 378 transactions Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk were all among victims of the four-hour attack which saw hackers infiltrate Twitter's systems and post messages to their accounts asking for Bitcoin Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk were all among victims of the four-hour attack which saw hackers infiltrate Twitter's systems and post messages to their accounts asking for Bitcoin. The fraudulent tweets all followed a similar formula, and directed potential victims to send bitcoin to the same anonymous wallet. 'I am giving back to my community due to COVID-19!' read the scam tweet posted to Obama's account. 'All Bitcoin sent to my address below will be sent back doubled. If you send $1,000, I will send back $2,000!' the fake message continued. Users patiently awaited their return before realizing they had been scammed The message shared on Bezos' account stated he is 'only doing a maximum of $50,000,000.' Users quickly shared screenshots showing that they had donated, while others poked fun at them for being so gullible. 'People really thought that sending bitcoin to rich people would put on some 2x multiplier,' one user said, calling those who gave money 'confused stonks.' A couple of people shared hilarious memes and gifs of people counting or swimming in piles of cash, suggesting that the hackers were enjoying their new found riches. 'People really thought that sending bitcoin to rich people would put on some 2x multiplier,' one user said, calling those who fell prey 'confused stonks' Several users just knew that the hackers were celebrating with their huge cash haul One bold user tried to get in on the money grab, telling others: 'Instead of sending Bitcoin to them (popular people), send it to me. I won't send you anything back in return. I promise.' 'Who seriously falls for this sh*t? It's illogical,' one user declared. Another stated: 'Y'all really still falling for the oldest trick in the book in 2020.' One bold user tried to get in on the money grab, telling others: 'Instead of sending Bitcoin to them (popular people), send it to me. I won't send you anything back in return. I promise' Another stated: 'Y'all really still falling for the oldest trick in the book in 2020' One person hilariously compared the social media giant's security to lace masks being sold in Brasil to stylishly 'combat' the coronavirus Another person used a now infamous meme of Will Smith at the latest Red Table Talk to show a disgruntled Twitter's security team And while Twitter users expressed disbelief that people fell for the scam, they couldn't help but note that the site's security really didn't do its best job when protecting users and their data. One person hilariously compared the social media giant's security to lace masks being sold in Brasil to stylishly 'combat' the coronavirus. Another person used a now infamous meme of Will Smith at the latest Red Table Talk to show how disgruntled Twitter's security team was trying to handle the mess from the hacking. Twitter's security was commonly compared to weak gates that were barely guarding whatever barrier they were meant to establish. Anti-Brexit supporters protest outside Downing Street in Westminster urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to release the report from the intelligence and security committee examining Russian infiltration in British politics on 18 January, 2020 in London, England. A long-delayed report into Russian influence in British politics will be published in the next week, parliament's intelligence and security committee agreed on Thursday, a day after a dispute over the appointment of its chairman. The committee, which oversees the work of Britain's intelligence community, has been in focus since the publication of the report into Russian influence was delayed by last year's election, and the appointment of the group was also postponed. Opposition lawmakers have accused the government of seeking to tighten its control over the committee. But those attempts, which officials deny, seemed to be derailed on Wednesday when Conservative lawmaker Julian Lewis was voted as chairman. He beat former minister Chris Grayling, who had been tipped as the government's choice, and Lewis was promptly expelled from the Conservative Party, in what some said was another sign that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not tolerate dissent. Lewis will keep his parliamentary seat, and the committee chair, as an independent. Swara Bhaskar, whose latest show Rasbhari received a lot of flak on social media, will take on the role of a policewoman in her next show, Flesh. The multi-faceted actor had told us that Rasbhari was basically a criticism of the hypocrisy about sexuality that is prevalent in our society, particularly in relation to men. She has three more shows to release on the OTT platform besides Sheer Qorma a short film that is ready for release. Sheer Qorma, says the actress, is an LGBTQ romance. She plays one of the two protagonists, while Divya Dutta plays the other. Its a love story of two Muslim women who are also coloured people living in Canada, elaborates Swara, I play a Pakistani Canadian while Divya Dutta is of Indian origin. Its a sweet story which touches upon many issues and also incorporates a lot of culture and emotion. Talking of her experience working with Shabana Azmi in Sheer Qorma, Swara says she was lucky to have the chance. Her sheer presence is a sort of a magic. Its beautiful to see her. She is so lovely. She plays Divyas mother. The film was to premiere in London in March or April, but the pandemic derailed the plans. Swara is not sure when the premier will be held. Asked whether it would be released on an OTT platform, the actress says thats a call for the producer Faraz Arif Ansari to take. As actors we do not have that much of a say. But as far as releasing on OTT goes, I think because it is a short film it has to be made available online so that the maximum number of people can watch it, she says. Clockwise from top left: Terry Woods of StraightUp Solar, Cynthia Meyers of ReThink Electric, Maricella Garcia of Fresh Coast Solar and Bejeray Morrison of Sunrun. The training programs created by the Future Energy Jobs Act show that renewable energy can create careers for people who have too often been denied opportunity. In order to build on this progress, we need to pass legislation that supports renewable energy growth. Illinois renewable energy job training programs showed strong progress in 2019, but policy change is needed to prevent the collapse of the states wind and solar industry and ensure more renewable energy jobs will be available in Illinois. The 2019 Workforce Development Implementation Plan Report filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission reported that, in 2019: 93% of job trainees completed the program 94% of eligible individuals found employment Training participants were 39% African American, 37% White, 22% Hispanic or Latinx Training programs served 71 people who were returning from incarceration Training programs served 203 residents of environmental justice communities Trainees landed in roles in solar installation, sales, inspection and more. Illinois renewable energy industry has grown rapidly in recent years and both large and small businesses have been eager to hire training program graduates. The Illinois Solar Energy Association held job fairs to connect applicants and community organizations with its solar business members; the most recent event was held on March 11 in Midlothian. But without a change to Illinois energy policy, job growth and opportunities for job trainees will grind to a halt in the coming months. Illinois Power Agency data shows the states renewable energy program, as it stands, wont support new projects beyond 2020 and Illinois will fall far short of its mandated clean energy goals. A few of the trainees who joined Illinois solar industry in 2019: Terry Woods completed training and was hired as a solar installer at StraightUp Solar in Bloomington. Reflecting on the impact of the programs, Terry said, I am the change everybody talks about. Im an ingredient to a greater solution. Cynthia Meyers is a lead solar installer for ReThink Electric, which is based in Wood Dale. Cynthia completed the LYTE solar training program and earned her NABCEP certification in January 2020. Cynthia chose to work in the solar industry because I saw an opportunity to inspire women and inspire people in my community to do something that was changing history. Maricella Garcia graduated from the Aspira job training program and started as a solar installer for Fresh Coast Solar in October 2019. She previously worked in retail and enrolled in the training program to expand her opportunities. Doing my part to bring these systems online has been more than enough to make me confident, said Maricella. Were building a better way to power our communities. Bejeray Morrison is the Solar for All Program Manager at Sunrun. Bejeray previously organized waste reduction projects in several communities on Chicagos South Side. After completing solar training with the Chicago Urban League and joining Sunrun, Bejeray noted, solar energy has allowed me to keep fighting for people in my community to live better lives while expanding my own career opportunities. The training programs created by the Future Energy Jobs Act show that renewable energy can create careers for people who have too often been denied opportunity, said Rep. Will Davis, sponsor of the Path to 100 Act. In order to build on this progress, we need to pass legislation that supports renewable energy growth. ISEAs member companies have been proud to strengthen their teams by hiring graduates of Illinois job training programs, said Lesley McCain, Executive Director of the Illinois Solar Energy Association. Its important we create long-term stability in Illinois solar market so we can expand on the early successes were seeing today. This report shows that the solar industry is committed to hiring people from historically marginalized communities and making the states policy goals a reality, said Nakhia Morrissette, Central Region Director for SEIA. But we cant continue creating solar jobs unless the state has a stable solar market. Legislation to fix the states renewable energy program will allow us to continue creating a more diverse clean energy workforce. Path to 100 is supported by labor and renewable energy organizations working to create jobs in Illinois. For more information, visit http://www.pathto100.net. Up to 1.1 million barrels of oil could spill into the Red Sea causing a disaster four times worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, the United Nations Security Council heard on Wednesday. Time is running out to prevent a dilapidated oil tanker stranded near Yemen from causing a "looming environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe," United Nations Environment Programme chief, Inger Andersen, warned. The Yemeni-government owned tanker, FSO Safer, started taking on water in May. If its oil does spill it could cause irreversible damage to the Red Sea's rich biodiversity, including coral reefs and mangroves. A spill from the decaying oil tanker, SAFER, off the #Yemen coast could directly affect 1.6 million Yemenis - many of whom already depend on humanitarian aid. I briefed the UN Security Council on the situation. The UN remains ready to address the problem: https://t.co/tP94gojQKn pic.twitter.com/zBsGVekV5h Mark Lowcock (@UNReliefChief) July 15, 2020 "Cleaning it up afterwards is not a viable option," said U.S. Amb. Kelly Craft. The damage would also have severe economic implications for at least 1.6 million Yemeni people, said Mark Lowcock, the U.N. humanitarian affairs chief. "Essentially every fishing community along Yemens west coast would see their livelihoods collapse." Nearly all of those communities at risk already require humanitarian aid because of the years-long war in the Arab world's poorest country, he added. The conflict, which began in 2014, has seen Iran-aligned Houthi Shiite rebels attempt to topple the internationally-recognized government by taking control of the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition has been supporting the government in fighting the rebels. Story continues The tanker was built in 1974 and has been regularly inspected by the U.N. But it is moored in territory controlled by the Houthi militia, which has blocked access. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the militia for blocking the U.N. mission. "The Houthis must grant access before this ticking time bomb explodes," he said during a briefing. U.N. agencies have been raising the alarm of the risk posed by the tanker for more than a year, Lowcock said Wednesday. Concerns were heightened in May when a leak sprung in the engine room, creating a risk of explosion. Lowcock said the leak was relatively small and divers were able to patch it up and contain it. However "it is impossible to say how long it might hold," he added. Image: FILE PHOTO: Ship carrying a shipment of grain is docked at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah (Abduljabbar Zeyad / Reuters file) The U.N. has proposed a plan to repair the damage and enable the oil on board to be salvaged and sold, providing income to local workers, according to the Yemeni government. Yemen's foreign minister, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, told the Security Council that the government has accepted the U.N. plan, but said the Houthi militia was not cooperating. Al-Hadhrami also warned that giving the Houthis access to the government-owned tanker "will not solve the problem, and it will enable them yet again to hijack the issue in the future, when the pressure is lifted." Lowcock said while the Houthis have rejected the U.N. mission, the Houthi militia last week announced it had changed its position. However, he cautioned that permissions were promised in August 2019 only to be cancelled by the Houthis the night before deployments. Reuters contributed to this report Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Avet Adonts today held phone talks with Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Manilo Di Stefano, as reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Avet Adonts shared with his Italian counterpart information about the current situation created as a result of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces attacks along the length of the northeastern sector of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, as well as the ongoing aggression of Azerbaijan against the civilian population and civil infrastructures. In this context, the deputy foreign minister also condemned the biased and provocative statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Manilo De Stefano stated that Italy hasnt changed its viewpoint according to which such issues need to be solved exclusively through negotiations. He emphasized that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already issued a press release calling on the sides to refrain from further escalation of tension, return to the field of constructive negotiations and solve the issue within the scope of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, exclusively through peaceful negotiations. The Italian Undersecretary added that Armenia can expect Italys full support in this regard. Scientists planning to build one of the world's largest telescopes on a Hawaii mountain said Wednesday construction won't begin until at least next year. TMT International Observatory Vice President Gordon Squires told Hawaii News Now that the coronavirus pandemic presents a complicated and unsafe situation for moving ahead. "With the pandemic and other factors that have come in, winter seems like a long ways away, but it's not that far away and for us to resume construction activities on site, winter on Mauna Kea just isn't feasible," Squires told the TV station. He told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that it takes a minimum of three months to gear up for the start of construction during optimal times. But bringing equipment and personnel from the U.S. mainland could now require double the preparation time, he said. Still, Squires said the consortium behind the $2.4 billion project remains committed to Hawaii. A group of universities in California and Canada plan to build the Thirty Meter Telescope at the mountain's summit together with partners from China, India and Japan. Native Hawaiian activists prevented the construction from moving ahead last year by blocking the road to the mountaintop. They say Mauna Kea's summit is sacred and the new observatory will further defile the site, which already hosts several telescopes built in recent decades. Law enforcement arrested several dozen elders participating in the demonstration. Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the leaders in the telescope fight, said she was saddened by the consortium's new plans. "While it gives us some respite, it still means we're waiting for a year for the continued desecration of our mountain to occur," told The Associated Press. She said she's glad TMT won't take action during the pandemic. In March, protesters who had been camped out on Mauna Kea to block construction dismantled their large tents and left because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. A few protesters remained, Pisciotta said. Still, she said TMT's intention to continue construction later means "the human and civil rights of the Hawaiian people will continue to be violated and more arrests of our elders will continue." The group behind TMT have selected the Canary Islands in Spain as a backup site for the observatory. Explore further Hawaii governor visits those blocking telescope construction 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Oman Cement sees 9% decline in 1H20 profit 16 July 2020 Oman Cement Co has reported an 8.7 per cent decline in net profit after tax to OMR2.1m (US$5.46m) for the first half of 2020, compared to OMR2.3m in the 1H19. However, the companys total revenue edged up 1.1 per cent to OMR26.4m from OMR26.1m. Published under The Dow dropped for this first time in five days on Thursday. Three experts weigh in on the move. Drew Matus, chief market strategist at MetLife Investment Management, said the chances of a V-shaped recovery are gone. "We are seeing some positive movements in the economy. They are not though what people had hoped for. So, the idea of the 'V' is gone. I think people will begin to understand that. You only have to look to China to see that it's just not happening. And that you know what we've lost, we've lost and now it's time to kind of clamor our way out and figure out how is the best way to do it." Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel, lays out expectations for growth. "I do think that we will see a strong rebound in third quarter coming off of those very low levels of the second. We do expect a retreat of around 25% to 30% GDP in the second quarter followed by a 10% to 15% rebound so in the positive realm in the third quarter, but if we aren't able to contain this virus and we do see the second round flare-up continue or if we do see a third round show its head in the wintertimes, we would expect growth to fall back into negative territory by the end of the year." Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money," said investors have to weather indiscriminate selling. "Johnson [earnings] better than expected, it doesn't matter. Abbott Labs, complete blow-away, it doesn't matter. Taiwan Semi [Wednesday] night, fantastic, doesn't matter. ... And when you get like that, that just says, 'OK, let the sellers get their job done.' There's some agenda here. They're obviously not caring about news and not reacting to better retail sales, which I thought was terrific or even jobless claims down again." Disclaimer New Delhi, July 16 : After the recent crackdown on wanted criminals by Delhi Police in the past few months, the police has now updated its new list of 12 'Most Wanted' criminals who have gone underground after committing heinous offences. Five of the 12 in the list are from northeast Delhi. The first criminal to figure on the list of is Narender alias Ravi Gangwal wanted under MCOCA at police station Ambedkar Nagar. He runs his own gang and has been a challenge for Delhi Police for his involvement in various heinous crimes in the city. He is a resident of Madangir and carries a reward of 50,000. The second criminal on the list is Delhi's ex-MLA Rambir Shaukeen, a resident of Nangloi in Delhi. Rambir Shaukeen is the maternal uncle of gangster Neeraj Bawana. In 2015, an AK-47 was allegedly recovered from Shokeen's Bawana property. In 2018, Shaukeen absconded from Delhi's Safradjung hospital in Delhi from the custody of UP police. A reward of 50,000 has been declared on his arrest. The third criminal in the list is Rashid, alias Cablewala, a resident of Chauhan Banger in Trans Yamuna area of North East Delhi. He is wanted for several cases including murder and Arms Act at police station Welcome. He carries a reward of 50,000 for his arrest. The fourth is gangster Kapil Gangwan infamous as Nandu. He operates his own gang in Najafgarh and the adjoin areas. He too is wanted in cases of murder and Arms Act amongst other crimes in the capital. Kapil too carried a reward of 50,000 for his arrest. Jyoti Sangwan, the brother of Kapil Sangwan is the fifth criminal in the most wanted list. He too has almost the same number of heinous cases registered against him in Dwarka North police station including that of murder. Kasim, another criminal from North East Delhi features on Delhi police most wanted list at number six. A resident of Brahampuri, he is infamous in the area as Raju Bachain. He is wanted in murder, attempt to murder beside several other cases in New Usmanpur police station. He too carries a reward of Rs 50,000. At number seven, Delhi police has the name of Hashim alias Baba. He is a resident of Mustafabad. Besides murder and attempt to murder many other cases have been registered against him in North East Delhi's Jafrabad police station. Hashim carries a reward of Rs 1 lakh. Vikas Langpuria, another dreaded criminal is at number eight on the most wanted list of Delhi Police. He is a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana and has several cases registered against him in Najafgarh . He is wanted in MCOCA too. Vikas too has a reward of Rs 1 lakh for his arrest. At number nine is Vijay Singh, alias Vijay Pehalwan. He is a resident of village Kishan Garh in Delhi and has several cases registered against him including that of murder at Vasnt Kunj North in Delhi. Vijay also carries a reward of Rs 1 lakh. Abdul Nasir, a notorious criminal from Jafrabad is listed at number 10. He is wanted by crime branch of Delhi Police under MCOCA. At number 11 is Samir alias Chhotu, a resident of North East Delhi's Jafrabad. He too carries a reward of Rs 1 lakh and is wanted in Seelampur police station for murder and other cases. At number 12 is Rohit Chowdhary, a resident of Aya Nagar in Delhi. He is wanted in murder case of Saket beside other criminal offenses. He too carries a reward of Rs 1 lakh. Delhi Police in the past few months has launched an offensive against its most wanted criminals and has been successful in arresting Jitender Maan alias Gogi (29), Delhi's most-wanted gangster, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 6.5 lakh on his head, and was arrested by Delhi Police along with his three accomplices, from Gurugram in March this year. On July 8, the special cell of Delhi Police was also successful in arresting notorious criminal Sandeep Dhillon from Siliguri in West Bengal. He fled from police custody in February 2018 from a Delhi hospital. Peacefmonline.com can confirm that the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has issued an arrest warrant for Samuel Adam Fosters aka Samuel Adam Mahama for prosecution over his role in the Airbus bribery scandal. Adam Mahama is being charged for accepting bribes to influence a public officer and acting in collaboration with a public officer for the public officers' private gain, in a "Red Notice" issued on July 10th. For the offence charged with, he is liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding of 25 years. Fugitive? The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) unit of the Ghana Police Service, disclosed this in an interview with Peacefmonline, a few hours ago. In the "Red Notice" titled "Fugitive, Wanted For Prosecution", Interpol indicated that once Mr Adam Mahama is traced, assurances are given that an extradition will be sought upon arrest of the person, in conformity with national laws and/or the applicable bilateral and multilateral treaties. Passport Details & Address Samuel Adam Foster aka Samuel Adam Mahama was born in Tamale on 14 December 1962 to Emmanuel Adamah Mahama and Nana Suluwu. His current Ghanaian passport was guaranteed by John Mahama, described as former president of Ghana as first guarantor, and Alfred Abdulai Mahama, described as a Civil Servant, as second guarantor. Alfred, John, and Samuel are brothers of the full blood in descending order of seniority. His UK address is 19 Avenue Road Penge, London, SE20 7RT, UK. "Bullshit Castle" Ghana is one of five countries in which the European aviation giant, Airbus, is alleged to have paid millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for contracts, leading to a court in Britain slapping a hefty fine of 3 billion on the company. In court documents and hearings, Airbus admitted five counts of failing to prevent bribery, using a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries, including Ghana, to land high-value contracts. The scheme was run by a unit at Airbus French headquarters, which its one-time chief executive, Tom Enders, reportedly called bullshit castle. According to the report, there are six key actors involved in the scandal regarding Ghana. Investigators from the UKs SFO identified them only as Government Official 1 (high ranking and elected), Intermediary 5 (British national and a close relative of Government Official 1), Company D (corporate vehicle for Intermediary 5 shareholder), Intermediary 6 (British national and associate of Intermediary 5), Intermediary 7 (British national and associate of Intermediary 5), as well as Intermediary 8 (Spanish company and front for Intermediary 5). More soon 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 BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the move of the U.S. side of signing the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" into law, said a statement released on the foreign ministry's website Wednesday. In disregard of China's serious representations, the United States recently signed into law the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" passed by its Congress, according to the statement. The Act maliciously denigrates the national security legislation for Hong Kong, and threatens to impose sanctions on China. It seriously violates international law and the basic norms underpinning international relations. It constitutes gross interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs. "The Chinese government firmly opposes and strongly condemns this move by the United States," said the statement. The enactment and enforcement of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is fully consistent with the relevant provisions of the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR. It provides the institutional and legal safeguards for the sound and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems," and serves to uphold sovereignty, security and development interests of the country as well as the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. The Law is unanimously supported and endorsed by all the Chinese people including the people in Hong Kong, the statement said. Noting Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, the statement said Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. No foreign country has the right to interfere. China is firmly resolved to uphold its sovereignty and security, safeguard the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and oppose external meddling in Hong Kong affairs. The U.S. attempt to obstruct the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong will never succeed. In order to safeguard its legitimate interests, China will make necessary response and sanction the relevant individuals and entities of the United States, said the statement. "We urge the U.S. side to correct its mistakes, not to enforce the so-called 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act,' and stop interfering in Hong Kong and other internal affairs of China in any way," it said, adding that if the U.S. side insists on going in the wrong direction, China will respond resolutely. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang on Wednesday summoned U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad to lodge stern representations over the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" and related executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Zheng noted the Act and executive order maliciously denigrate the national security legislation for Hong Kong, remove relevant special treatment for Hong Kong, and threaten to impose sanctions on Chinese entities and individuals. "This is a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a grave violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this." "To safeguard its legitimate interests, China will make necessary response to the wrong actions of the United States, including imposing sanctions on relevant U.S. entities and individuals," Zheng said. Noting Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, Zheng said China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, in accordance with the Chinese Constitution, the Hong Kong Basic Law and relevant decisions of the NPC, enacts the national security legislation for Hong Kong, which is entirely China's internal affair, and no foreign country has the right to make irresponsible remarks or interfere in the matter. China urges the U.S. side to correct its mistakes, refrain from implementing the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" and executive order, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs in any way, Zheng said. "I would like to sternly warn the U.S. side that China will resolutely counterattack any bullying and injustice imposed on China by the United States, and its attempt to block China's development is doomed to failure. We urge the U.S. side to stop its slanders and provocations against China and not to go further down the wrong path," Zheng said. 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. An author claims to have located the London home where creator Ian Fleming placed James Bond - a 5.2million terrace in one of Chelsea's most desirable streets. William Boyd, who wrote the Bond continuation novel Solo, believes the author imagined his character lived in a Grade-II listed property on the stunning Wellington Square. He pinpointed the location of fictional spy Bond's home while researching for his novel, which was published in 2013, he said in The Times Literary Supplement. Mr Boyd re-read all Fleming's stories and found vital clues about its sought-after location and interior in Moonraker, Thunderball and From Russia with Love. William Boyd, who wrote the Bond continuation novel Solo, believes creator Ian Fleming imagined James Bond lived on the stunning Wellington Square, Chelsea (pictured) Mr Boyd claims he pinpointed the location of Bond's home while researching for Solo, which was published in 2013. Pictured: Sean Connery as Bond in From Russia With Love Bond's creator refers to his home as a 'comfortable flat in a Plane-tree'd square off the King's Road' in Moonraker, Mr Boyd says, before he 'let slip a crucial co-ordinate' in Thunderball. In the 1961 novel, the ninth in the series, Fleming describes Bond driving out of the square into King's Road and then 'fast up Sloane Street and into the [Hyde] Park.' This led Mr Boyd to conclude Wellington Square was where Fleming imagined 007's home, an opinion shared by John Pearson in a biography of Bond written in 1973. Here, the exact house number was identified as 30. However, Mr Boyd believes it is more likely to have been No 25. The home had belonged to The Sunday Times literary critic Desmond MacCarthy when Fleming worked at the newspaper as foreign manager. Bond's creator refers to his home as a 'comfortable flat in a Plane-tree'd square off the King's Road' within Moonraker Pictured: One of three sitting rooms inside the home believed to be the setting of Bond's home The terrace has five bedrooms, two bathrooms and three reception rooms, one of which was described as a 'long, big-windowed sitting room' in From Russia with Love The terrace has five bedrooms, two bathrooms and three reception rooms, one of which was described as a 'long, big-windowed sitting room' in From Russia with Love. MacCarthy and his wife Molly were 'legendary entertainers,' says Mr Boyd, and it is 'highly probable that Fleming went to one or more of the MacCarthys' parties.' 'The circumstantial evidence is compelling,' Mr Boyd added. The home in Wellington Square was owned by the MacCarthy family until May last year, when it was sold to Frank Cordes and architect Iride Rosa. Clues led Mr Boyd (pictured) to conclude Wellington Square was where Fleming imagined 007's home The home has five bedrooms set across four floors in the stunning, Grade-II listed property Bond's home is nestled on a road where houses sell for as much as 10 million, with an idyllic shared garden featuring a fountain standing at the centre The couple told the Times they were interested in the house because of Mr MacCarthy's connection with the Bloomsbury Group. 'I am a huge James Bond fan,' said Mr Cordes, of Boston Consulting Group. 'I thought this might be my ticket to an Aston Martin but it is the mortgage that will probably stand between me and that car.' The impressive property happens to be close to where British author John le Carre placed fictional spy George Smiley on Bywater Street. Bond's home is nestled on a road where houses sell for as much as 10 million, with an idyllic shared garden featuring a fountain standing at the centre. - Several well-known personalities from ABS-CBN were recently seen in 24 Oras of GMA-7 - The said show decided to air the statements of Vice Ganda and two network executives regarding the franchise denial - It was Mel Tiangco, a former employee of the Kapamilya network, who reported about it - The said incident just proved that network rivalry is set aside in these trying times PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Vice Ganda and the respected bosses of ABS-CBN appeared on 24 Oras of GMA-7 in what was described as a rare moment on national television. KAMI learned that the said show in the Kapuso network decided to air the statements of those in the rival network with regards to the franchise renewal issue. Vice Ganda (Photo from Flickr) Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In the hope of upholding balance and fairness, the videotaped messages of Carlo Katigbak and Mark Lopez were shown as part of a report. It was Mel Tiangco, a former news anchor in ABS-CBN, who reported about how deeply hurt the two executives were due to the decision of the Congress. In a separate report by Mariz Umali, an emotional Vice delivered a statement about the decision to reject his network another 25-year franchise. Hindi ko po alam ang sasabihin ko sa inyo, hindi ko po talaga alam. Para akong nanginginig na hindi ko alam, he told GMA-7 News and other reporters. "Basta ang alam ko lang, malungkot na malungkot ako ngayon. Mahalaga ito sa akin dahil buhay natin ito, he added. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Here are the videos of the said reports: ABS-CBN is one of the leading broadcasting firms in the Philippines. It is currently facing a heavy issue with regards to its franchise to operate. Recently, a former broadcaster in the said network bravely took a swipe at Carlo Katigbaks statement that he is concerned about all of his employees. Several Kapuso celebrities also aired their honest and unsolicited reactions after learning about the closure order against the Kapamilya network. 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! Source: KAMI.com.gh 16 July 2020 The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) express their deepest sympathy for the loss of life resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and declare their solidarity with all those suffering personal and economic hardships. Global solidarity and co-operation are needed more than ever before to defeat the virus and ensure a swift recovery from the economic and social effects of the pandemic. Innovation will play a central role in these efforts, supported by effective intellectual property protection. The EPO and the JPO have responded to the crisis by adapting our services and procedures in support of inventors. Both of our Offices have offered assistance to patent applicants by providing flexibility with regard to procedural deadlines, along with a wide range of other measures to ensure business continuity[1]. We stand by inventors and researchers, and will continue to support their efforts in developing technological solutions to this global challenge by offering access to patent information on technologies, through our free public patent databases so that they can build on previous advances. We will provide solid IP rights that enable scientists, inventors, and researchers to innovate further, helping them to attract investment, bring their technologies to market, and create jobs. The EPO has launched a tool to provide insight on patent landscapes related to coronavirus, which supports scientists and researchers with ready-made search strategies. The JPO also offers a tool in the form of an open licensing database, where businesses can connect, and find information on available technologies. Over the years we have established various joint initiatives to support inventors worldwide, such as fast-tracking examination of patent applications through the Patent Prosecution Highway programme, and promoting the alignment of our examination practices and procedures, for example in the area of computer-implemented inventions. We reaffirm our commitment to addressing the challenges together and building further on the longstanding and productive co-operation between the EPO and the JPO. Companies and inventors from Japan and Europe have always figured prominently among the applicants at both Offices: last year Japanese and European firms filed more than 20 000 patent applications with the EPO and the JPO respectively. Due to the global nature of innovation today, with scientists, companies and researchers co-operating across borders, we are determined to seek global solutions for the benefit of the international IP community, and to advance bilateral co-operation initiatives. We will intensify our joint work towards an efficient and harmonised international patent system, in particular within the framework of the Trilateral co-operation together with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the IP5[2], which also includes the China National Intellectual Property Administration and the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Together the EPO and the JPO will contribute to the economic and social recovery from the pandemic by collaborating on intellectual property issues in support of innovators worldwide to promote an efficient, cost-effective and user-friendly international patent landscape. Antonio Campinos EPO President MATSUNAGA Akira JPO Commissioner 1 To find out more about measures implemented by the EPO and the JPO in response to the coronavirus pandemic, please visit our websites, www.epo.org/news-issues/covid-19.html and www.jpo.go.jp/e/news/koho/saigai/covid19_procedures.html. 2 To read more about the Offices' initiatives for effective multilateral co-operation on global IP issues, visit the IP5 website: www.fiveipoffices.org DAVID Walsh Engineering, the company responsible for carrying out the Tullamore Street Enhancement Project, will finalise all of its work this week. This includes repairing any damage done to shops and businesses during the course of the works. Some shops sustained cracked plinths, and timber while others had cement splashes. A spokesperson for David Walsh Engineering said the company hopes to be finished by Friday of this week [July 17]. Work began on the Tullamore Street Enhancement project in January 2019. The project attracted controversy from the start with many of retailers and councillors unhappy with plans to pedestrianise O'Connor Square as they felt this would have an adverse effect on businesses in the town. Councillors spent months debating the number of parking spaces that should be left in O'Connor Square. They finally agreed on 34 parking spaces, a reduction of 18. More delays came when Irish Water undertook works on William Street. Then in the middle of March the coronavirus hit which further halted work. The streets is now finished with nothing left but snagging and cleaning. Last Friday morning July 10 the ESB were out in force under-grounding all the overhead cables. At last week's Tullamore Municipal District meeting councillors expressed their satisfaction with the works and said most people were now happy with the new look roads and paths. DUBLIN, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Automotive Turbocharger Market by Vehicle (Passenger Car, LCV and HCV), by Engine (Gasoline and Diesel), by Technology (VGT/VNT, Wastegate and Electric Turbocharger), by Operation, by Region, by Company, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Automotive Turbocharger Market is anticipated to reach USD 26 Billion by 2025, growing at an impressive rate during the forecast period on account of rising production of commercial vehicles and strict government regulations on the emission and fuel efficiency of the automobiles. Moreover, the increasing demand for vehicle high power outputs and low exercise duty on smaller engines are driving the growth of the automotive turbocharger market. Based on the technology, the demand for VGT technology is anticipated to grow in the forecast period as it can overcome the limitation of the fixed geometry turbocharger (FGT). Based on the vehicle, the market has been segmented into passenger cars, light commercial vehicle and heavy commercial vehicle. The passenger car segment is forecast to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period owing to the rising concerns over fuel economy and strict government regulations. In terms of regional analysis, Asia Pacific is anticipated to dominate the market during the forecast period due to the increase in disposable income and the rising demand for automobiles in the region. Some of the major players operating in the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market are Borgwarner, Turbo International, Calsonic Kansie, Turbonetics, Bosch Mahle, MHI, TEL,Delphi Technologies, Cummins, Continental. Major companies are developing advanced technologies and launching new products in order to stay competitive in the market. Other competitive strategies include mergers & acquisitions and new product developments. Objective of the Study: To analyze and forecast the market size of the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market, in terms of value and volume. To classify and forecast the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market based on vehicle, engine, technology, operation, and regional distribution. To identify drivers and challenges for the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market. To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market. To conduct the pricing analysis for the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market. To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market. The author performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study. Initially, the author sourced a list of manufacturers across the globe. Subsequently, the author conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies. While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, the author could include the manufacturers which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. The author analyzed the service offerings, distribution channels and the presence of all major manufacturers across the globe. The author calculated the market size of the Global Automotive Turbocharger Market by using a bottom-up approach, where the data for various end-user segments was recorded and forecast for the future years. Researchers 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. Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Impact of COVID-19 on Global Automotive Turbocharger Market 4. Executive Summary 5. Voice of Customer 5.1. Product Pricing 5.2. Factors Influencing Purchase Decision 5.3. Product Awareness 6. Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Overview 7. Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Outlook 7.1. Market Size & Forecast 7.1.1. By Value & Volume 7.2. Market Share & Forecast 7.2.1. By Vehicle (Passenger Car, Light Commercial Vehicle, Heavy Commercial Vehicle) 7.2.2. By Engine (Gasoline and Diesel) 7.2.3. By Technology (VGT/VNT, Wastegate and Electric Turbocharger) 7.2.4. By Operation (Conventional Turbocharger and e-turbocharger) 7.2.5. By Company 7.2.6. By Region 7.3. Market Attractiveness Index 8. Asia-Pacific Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Outlook 8.1. Market Size & Forecast 8.2. Market Share & Forecast 8.3. Asia-Pacific: Country Analysis 9. Europe Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Outlook 9.1. Market Size & Forecast 9.2. Market Share & Forecast 9.3. Europe: Country Analysis 10. North America Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Outlook 10.1. Market Size & Forecast 10.2. Market Share & Forecast 10.3. North America: Country Analysis 11. South America Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Outlook 11.1. Market Size & Forecast 11.2. Market Share & Forecast 11.3. South America: Country Analysis 12. Middle East and Africa Global Automotive Turbocharger Market Outlook 12.1. Market Size & Forecast 12.2. Market Share & Forecast 12.3. MEA: Country Analysis 13. Market Dynamics 13.1. Drivers 13.2. Challenges 13.3. Opportunities 14. Market Trends & Developments 15. Competitive Landscape 15.1. BorgWarner Inc. 15.2. Continental AG 15.3. Cummins Inc. 15.4. Delphi Technologies 15.5. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd 15.6. Garrett Motion Inc. 15.7. IHI Turbo America 15.8. Magnum Performance Turbos 16. Strategic Recommendations 17. About the Author & Disclaimer For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/feoug5 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com The dismembered body parts of a tech executive was discovered in his posh apartment. The 33-year-old victim, Fahim Saleh, was murdered and chopped up with an electric saw. His dismembered body parts were scattered all over his apartment. Saleh's quartered corpse was discovered last Tuesday at the Lower East Side of Manhattan in his luxury condo unit. Inside, law enforcement authorities found an electric saw that was used to sever the victim like a slab of meat in the market. According to the New York Police Department, the victim's relatives positively identify the corpse as Saleh, as cited in Oxygen. Dismembered body parts were stuffed in bags New York Post reported that the sawed-off body parts were placed into plastic bags close to an electric saw. Both his arms and legs below the knee were severed by the unknown killer. His head was found inside the apartment too. On Tuesday, the sister of the victim came to visit at 3:30 pm when he was not answering her calls. She decided to check on him to make sure he was alright. But when she arrived at the scene, she was horrified to find his dismembered body parts. The New York Times was informed via a police source that the murderer wanted to disposed of the body quietly. When Saleh's sister went to his unit, the saw was allegedly still connected to the socket. Meanwhile, the CCTV footage in the condo captured the victim accompanied by an oddly dressed person wearing a black suit and mask just hours before the murder. Also read: Suspect Who Dumped Bodies of Two Sisters With Bags on Their Head Arrested One source said the suspect was like a ninja and might be a 'professional hitman.' The cleaner was adept at killing Saleh and cutting up the victim for compact disposal, plus getting rid of signs that a murder was committed. The unknown assailant followed the victim as he entered the apartment. Later on, both were seen fighting as Saleh's suspicions grew. It was the last time Saleh was seen alive. Later, the cams captured his sister visiting him after the struggle with the murderer. Speculation exists that the killer was able to get away via a secret staircase. NYPD says that the gruesome dismemberment slay is a homicide, but the official cause of death is yet to be determined. The police have released a statement that they have no suspects yet and are still investigating the murder. His death was verified on Wednesday by Gokada, which is the motorcycle ride-sharing company he started in Nigeria during 2018. Saleh is a self-taught innovator who created apps including the startup KickBack app, as stated on his LinkedIn profile. Another app he made was Prank Dial that is used to make prank calls. When the pandemic struck, there was a shift in how to run the company from ride sharing to deliveries in NYC. The mutilation of Saleh sent shockwaves to the community. Jason Rivera, a resident, told the press that he couldn't fathom how anyone can hack off a head and body parts so grossly. Related article: Woman Shot Dead, Man Injured Due to Altercation Over Dog Poop @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Some private elective surgery patients are being urged to delay procedures for up to a year and aspiring parents may have to push back plans to conceive with IVF as the state government hits pause on non-urgent procedures in a bid to free up hospital capacity for coronavirus patients. As the state reported a record daily increase of 317 new infections on Thursday, Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced all category three elective surgeries would be paused across Melbourne's public hospitals. Public hospitals will drop their elective surgery capacity to 50 per cent of normal operations to free up space, while private hospitals will pull back to 75 per cent. Credit:Nic Walker There are now at least 2128 active COVID-19 cases in Victoria, with the number of people in hospital rising by four to 109 over the last 24 hours. Twenty-nine people remain in intensive care. Professor Paul Myles, director of The Alfred hospital's anaesthesiology and perioperative medicine department, who is leading a taskforce screening Australian surgery patients for coronavirus, said growing global evidence suggested those infected with COVID-19 were at heightened risk of dying post-operatively. VICTORIAMore work is getting underway in British Columbia to restore caribou habitat that the province says has been degraded by forestry, mining, oil and gas exploration, and other human activities. Seven projects approved by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation will receive nearly $1.1 million in grants. The provincial government says in a news release that habitat restoration includes planting trees to cover up old roads and seismic lines that were cleared for oil and gas exploration, which give predators clear lines of sight and access to caribou. The province has allocated $8.5 million over three years to the conservation foundation and 11 projects received grants worth about $1.2 million last year. The foundation will be accepting applications again between September and early November. The B.C. government has committed $47 million over three years to build what it calls a comprehensive, science-based approach to preserve 54 caribou herds in the province. Earlier this week, a study published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation found flaws in a 2019 report that the province relied on while expanding its wolf culling program. The study by researchers from Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the universities of Alberta, British Columbia and Victoria found killing wolves has had no detectable effect on reversing the decline of endangered caribou populations. More than 460 wolves were culled last winter. Read more about: Flower One's June sales grew 144% over May and 78% over April with the re-opening of Las Vegas on June 4th TORONTO, July 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Flower One Holdings Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: FONE) (OTCQX: FLOOF), a leading cannabis cultivator, producer and innovator in Nevada, today reported its financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. The Company also provided a corporate update including preliminary financial and operational highlights subsequent to quarter end. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars unless indicated otherwise. First Quarter Highlights Delivered revenue of $8.8 million , representing sequential quarterly growth of 52%; , representing sequential quarterly growth of 52%; Achieved record monthly sales in March of $3.9 million ; ; Maintained industry-leading cultivation performance levels with an average harvested cash cost of $0.49 per gram; and, per gram; and, Received Nevada state approval to launch three vape brands, including The Clear, Old Pal, and Heavy Hitters. "Revenues of $8.8 million in Q1 2020 were just shy of our total revenues for the full year 2019, and March revenues set a record for our company," said Ken Villazor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Flower One. "Coinciding with our strong revenue growth, we continued to cultivate flower at industry-leading levels with a cash cost per gram of $0.49 for the first quarter, with substantial improvements in overall quality. If the events of 2020 to-date have demonstrated anything, they show that the depth and overall cannabis competencies of the Flower One team are amongst the best in the industry. Our ability to optimize our operations to continue to support all our leading brands and retail partners without interruption shows just how flexible and efficient we are as a company. With the recent launches of Cookies and 22Red, we could not be more excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Flower One." Highlights Subsequent to Quarter-End A. Market and Revenue Highlights In June, signed Lift Tickets Laboratories, premium California brand and pre-roll innovator, as 16 th brand partner. Lift Tickets is expected to launch in Q3 2020; brand partner. Lift Tickets is expected to launch in Q3 2020; In July, successfully launched premium brands Cookies and 22Red into the Nevada market. Launch inventory for both brands, including Cookies' entire line of products the namesake Cookies brand, along with Lemonnade, Powerzzzup, Grandiflora, Runtz and Minntz and 22Red's full selection of dry flower, pre-roll, vape cartridges and CBD selections, have essentially been pre-sold; market. Launch inventory for both brands, including Cookies' entire line of products the namesake Cookies brand, along with Lemonnade, Powerzzzup, Grandiflora, Runtz and Minntz and 22Red's full selection of dry flower, pre-roll, vape cartridges and CBD selections, have essentially been pre-sold; As of the date of this news release, the Company continued to achieve sales growth from recently launched vaping products, such as Old Pal, and is looking forward to broadening its vape product SKUs with the launch of Heavy Hitters in Q4 2020; Successfully closed two non-brokered private placements on May 4, 2020 , and June 29, 2020 , totaling $13.9 million ; , and , totaling ; Eliminated CDN$26.6 million of corporate debt by way of partial conversions of November 2019 and March 2019 convertible debenture issues; and of corporate debt by way of partial conversions of and convertible debenture issues; and As of the date of this news release, the Company's pace of sales continued to improve. Following a 78-day closure of casinos in Las Vegas , and with the reopening of the Strip on June 4, 2020 , Flower One's June sales grew 144% over May and 78% over April. B. Operational Highlights The Company's production facility is now delivering more than 100 SKUs to the market, remaining an industry-leader in producing the widest and deepest range of high-market finished product derivatives; In Q2 2020, the Company successfully validated its optimized Fresh Frozen harvest process allowing Flower One to expand its product offerings while also continuing to provide best-in-class concentrates to the market; Through continued improvements in efficiencies in the Company's upstream extraction processes, Flower One's first-pass distillate are now achieving an average of 92% THC across all lots; and, The Company previously announced that effective today Geoff Miachika will be stepping down as Chief Financial Officer. David Kane has been appointed Interim CFO, effective July 16, 2020 . Mr. Miachika will continue to work with Flower One in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition. Mr. Kane, a certified public accountant, joins Flower One with more than three decades of capital markets, accounting and operations experience. Most recently, Mr. Kane was CFO at Xtreme Cubes Corporation, a manufacturer of high-end modular structures, and at Tryke Companies, a vertically integrated cannabis cultivator, manufacturer and retailer in Nevada . First Quarter 2020 Financial Results Revenues Revenue for Q1 2020 was $8.8 million, an increase of 52% on a sequential quarterly basis. The increase is primarily from the benefit of a full three months of flower sales out of the Company's greenhouse, which did not commence until August 2019, and cannabis-derived products out of the greenhouse, which did not commence until September 2019. Expenses Cost of sales was $6.3 million for the quarter. The increase in cost of sales over the prior quarter is in line with the higher sales volumes in Q4 2019 combined with increased costs on a per gram basis of inventory sold during the period. The cost per gram is in line with Q3 2019, but represents an increase in per gram cost from Q4 2019. The increase in per gram cost is a result of lower production in Q1 2020 versus Q4 2019 of flower and extracted products out of the lab, resulting in an increased costs basis for those products sold. As sales of branded products expand, driving higher production for flower and extraction products, the Company expects to realize higher margins going forward. General and administrative expenses for the quarter totaled $6.2 million, a decrease of $0.6 million over Q4 2019. The Company continues to identify ways to manage expenses and reduce overhead costs. Profitability Measures Net loss for the quarter was $6.4 million, driven mainly by a one-time non-cash write-down of inventory totaling $10.6 million. The Company's sales declined in Q2 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, certain flower grown by the Company was set to expire beginning in late Q2 2020 through the end of Q4 2020. As such, management determined that a portion of inventory carried on the books will be sold as distillate or related products, instead of flower. This strategic decision to take a one-time non-cash write-down in Q1 2020 allows Flower One to extend the shelf life of this inventory and positions the Company strongly for the opportunities presented by its newest brand partners and strains. This write-down, along with general and administrative expenses of $6.2 million and finance expenses of $6.7 million, were partially offset by $7.5 million in fair value gains on biological assets, $7.5 million in gains on fair value of derivatives and $3.1 million in foreign exchange gains as a result of the convertible debentures. Gross margin amounted to $2.5 million, or 28% of revenue, for Q1 2020, compared to $2.6 million, or 44% of revenue, in Q4 2019. The lower gross margin as a percentage of revenue in Q1 2020 was attributable to the increased cost basis on flower and extracted products due to decreased production in Q1 2020. The recent brand launches combined with increased production are expected to drive an improvement in gross margins. Flower One's Q1 2020 financial statements and management's discussion and analysis will be issued and filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com on July 15, 2020 and available on the same day on Flower One's website at www.flowerone.com/investors/financial-reports. Second Quarter 2020 Guidance As previously announced on June 8, 2020, Flower One continues to expect revenue of approximately $3.8 million for Q2 2020, ahead of the original company guidance of $3.25 million to $3.75 million for the quarter. Guidance expectations for Q2 2020 are based on the following: COVID-19-related decisions by the State of Nevada resulted in a notable constriction of its cannabis market during the months of April and May. As a result, the Company's sales declined to approximately $1.9 million during the first two months of Q2 2020; resulted in a notable constriction of its cannabis market during the months of April and May. As a result, the Company's sales declined to approximately during the first two months of Q2 2020; The re-opening of dispensaries in early May to in-person sales, combined with the re-opening of casinos and the Las Vegas Strip in early June, appears to be having a positive impact on inventory levels at cannabis retailers. The Company has seen a notable increase in its weekly orders through its retail accounts since early June. As previously noted, sales in June following the reopening of the casinos grew 144% over May, to $1.9 million ; and, ; and, During Q2 2020, the Company added 11 new bulk and retail accounts to continue to broaden its overall customer base and maintain its retail penetration of over 90%. Flower One also anticipates that entering Q3 2020, the Company will continue to reduce its variable operating costs as a result of continued operational efficiencies and a right-sized crop management plan through the upcoming quarter. Notice of Conference Call Management of Flower One will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET on July 16, 2020 to review Q1 2020 financial results. To join the conference call, please dial 647-427-7450 or 1-888-231-8191. A live audio webcast of the call will be available at http://bit.ly/FONE-Q1-2020. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to join the webcast. For those unable to join the live call, a replay will be available until July 30, 2020. To access the archived conference call, please dial 1-855-859-2056 and enter the conference code 2884538. An archived replay of the webcast will be available online for 90 days. About Flower One Holdings Inc. Flower One is the largest cannabis cultivator, producer, and full-service brand fulfillment partner in the state of Nevada. By combining more than 20 years of greenhouse operational excellence with best-in-class cannabis operators, Flower One offers consistent, reliable, and scalable fulfillment to a growing number of industry-leading cannabis brands. Flower One's flagship 400,000 square-foot greenhouse and 55,000 square-foot production facility is used for large scale cannabis cultivation, processing, and manufacturing. Flower One also owns and operates a second production facility in Las Vegas, with 25,000 square-feet of indoor cultivation and a commercial kitchen that will produce several of the nation's top-performing edible and beverage brands. Flower One produces a wide range of products ranging from wholesale flower, full-spectrum oils, and distillates to finished consumer packaged goods including flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, edibles, beverages, and topicals for the top-performing brands in cannabis. The Company's common shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the Company's symbol "FONE", in the United States on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol "FLOOF" and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "F11". For more information, visit: https://flowerone.com. Forward Looking Statements Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of United States securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other unknown factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from historical results or from any future actual results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements which explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms "believes," "belief," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "potential," "should," "may," "will," "plans," "continue" or other similar expressions to be uncertain and forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's Q2 2020 revenues and gross margins; future opportunities; potential growth including sales growth; future operating costs and optimization; potential new brand partners; the timing of the launch of Lift Tickets and Heavy Hitters in Nevada; tourism levels in Nevada; business continuity as a result of COVID-19; the Company's leadership as a cannabis cultivator, producer, innovator and full-service brand fulfillment partner; the Company's ability to offer consistent, reliable and scalable fulfilment to a growing number of industry-leading brand partners; and the production of a wide range of products for the nation's top-performing brands. The Company is indirectly involved in the manufacture, possession, use, sale and distribution of cannabis in the recreational and medicinal cannabis marketplaces in the United States through its subsidiary Cana Nevada Corp. Local state laws where Cana Nevada Corp. operates permit such activities; however, these activities are currently illegal under United States federal law. Additional information regarding this and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business, including COVID-19, are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated June 23, 2020 (the "Annual Information Form") filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, the "Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Information" section contained in the Annual Information Form. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to assumptions and risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's public securities filings with the Canadian securities commissions, including the Company's Annual Information Form. Although Flower One has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on obtaining regulatory approvals; risks associated with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases presenting as major health issues; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Nevada cannabis market and changing consumer habits; investing in target companies or projects that are engaged in activities currently considered illegal under United States federal law; changes in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. Flower One Holdings disclaims and does not undertake any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE Flower One Holdings Inc. If you plan to fly during the pandemic, youre better off choosing an airline with a policy of keeping the middle seat empty. Such a policy lowers the risk of contracting COVID from 1 in 4,400 to 1 in 7,300, according to a new academic study. That estimate comes from Arnold Barnett, a statistics professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His findingswhich suggest a no middle seats flight reduces risk by 79%also note that the risk of dying from catching COVID on a flight are less than 1 in half a million. Barnetts conclusion on the risk of middle seats comes as U.S. airlines pursue different approaches. For instance, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest have chosen to keep middle seats empty, while United and Spirit are filling them. American is also doing so as it runs many flights that are over-capacity. The new research should be taken with a grain of salt, however, as Barnett himself acknowledges. In his paper, he emphasizes that his findings are rough conjecture in light of the difficulties in calculating such a risk. Barnetts calculations are based on numerous assumptions, including that all passengers are wearing masksa step he says reduces risks of catching COVID by 82%. He also assumes that someone is more likely to catch COVID from those in the same aisle rather than from those in rows behind or in front of them The findings also disregard the risk of catching COVID from trips to the restroom, or from boarding or getting off the plane. But the latter situation may pose a significant risk according to the Wall Street Journal, which notes the close proximity of passengers waiting to board or scrambling to store luggage. The Journal, which cited the Barnett study, suggested that flying is not especially dangerous overall, in part because planes frequently replace the air in the cabin. For his part, Barnett concludes by noting that middle seat policy will also be informed by economic considerations facing the airlines. Story continues The calculations here, however rudimentary, do suggest a measurable reduction in Covid-19 risk when middle seats on aircraft are deliberately kept open, he writes. The question is whether relinquishing 1/3 of seating capacity is too high a price to pay for the added precaution. More must-read finance coverage from Fortune: This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Few in Silicon Valley could have predicted that a mild-mannered young Austrian lawyer who spent a semester studying there would one day become high-tech companies' worst nightmare. But on Thursday Max Schrems, 32, racked up the latest in a string of legal victories in the field of online privacy, with the EU's top court striking down the crucial "Privacy Shield" online data arrangement between Europe and the US. After the decision Schrems tweeted a video of (non-alcoholic) champagne being uncorked in the offices of the privacy NGO NOYB -- standing for "None Of Your Business" -- that he helped found. The European Court of Justice "said 100 percent what we argued for", he said in an interview with AFP Thursday, adding: "US surveillance law is well and alive and that's the core problem". Privacy Shield was the successor to another EU-US deal, Safe Harbour, which was itself torpedoed by a similar court ruling in 2015 -- again in a case brought by Schrems. Both deals were relied on by giant corporations such as Facebook to facilitate the transfer of data from the EU to the US. But Schrems grew concerned at leaks from former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 according to which the NSA had access to users' data on Facebook and other US tech companies. In the wake of the 2015 judgement Schrems said the ruling confirmed "that mass surveillance violates our fundamental rights", adding that it made clear that "US businesses cannot simply aid US espionage efforts in violation of European fundamental rights". That verdict even prompted Snowden to congratulate Schrems on Twitter. "You've changed the world for the better," wrote the whistleblower, who currently lives in exile in Russia. - 'Wild West' laws - Schrems' trademark grin has been much in evidence since he began his fight against Facebook almost a decade ago, after spending a semester at Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley during studies. 'Do they live somewhere in the Wild West?' / AFP Schrems said he had been startled by American companies' lax attitude towards European privacy laws. "The general approach in Silicon Valley is that you can do anything you want in Europe" without facing major consequences, Schrems told AFP in a previous interview. "The core issue is: do online companies have to stick to the rules or do they live somewhere in the Wild West where they can do whatever they want to do?" Following his return to Austria, he asked Facebook to provide him with a record of the personal data it held on him. Schrems was shocked when he received no fewer than 1,222 pages of information. These included photos, messages and postings on his Facebook page dating back years -- some of which he thought he had deleted -- the times he had clicked "like" on an item, and "pokes" of fellow users. "When you delete something from Facebook, all you are doing is hiding it from yourself," he said. - Battle goes on - He has opened numerous other fronts in his David-versus-Goliath battles in the field of online privacy. "As an average citizen, you can neither afford to engage in these fights, nor do people have the nerves to insist on their rights for that long," Schrems recently said about his case against Facebook in the Austrian courts which has been passed between various jurisdictions for six years and counting. NOYB started operations in May 2018 and promptly set about using the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to file complaints with regulators against some of the tech world's biggest names over their abuses of data. In France NOYB was one of two advocacy groups which helped inflict a defeat on Google over its data consent policies, landing the company with a 50 million euro ($56 million) fine from the country's data watchdog. More days in court surely lie ahead as part of Schrems' pro bono work for NOYB, but he says he finds time to head to the mountains and snowboard when not poring over legal developments. Representative Image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More PTC India (formerly Power Trading Corporation of India) has revived plans to sell its controlling stake in its NBFC arm PTC India Financial Services, according to an official disclosure to the stock exchanges. The Delhi-headquartered firm, which is backed by NTPC, Power Grid Corporation and Power Finance Corporation, has invited potential suitors or investors to submit their expression of interest by July 31. The board of PTC India had initially proposed the divestment plans to shareholders on August 7, 2019 but received the requisite internal approvals for the deal after delays on account of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As the parent, PTC India wants to dilute its majority stake in PTC India Financial Services as the latter is non-core to its operations, an individual told Moneycontrol. The deal is likely to attract interest from infrastructure-focused NBFCs and funds who are keen to float an infra development fund as the target has the licence due to its IFC (infrastructure finance company) status, he added. PTC India currently holds a 64.99 percent stake in PTC India Financial Services and at current market capitalisation the value of the majority stake is around Rs 572 crore. IDFC Securities has been appointed as transaction advisor for the deal and the promoters are looking to exit at a premium, a second individual told Moneycontrol. Both individuals spoke on the condition of anonymity. Moneycontrol is awaiting an email response from PTC India and will update this article as soon as we hear from the company. IDFC Securities couldnt be reached immediately for a comment. We further submit that after obtaining necessary board/shareholder approvals (as required) and execution of the definitive agreement(s) with the investor(s), the company will update the stock exchanges in accordance with applicable laws, the official announcement stated. PTC India Financial Services, being an infrastructure finance company, is engaged in the business of making investments in, and providing financing solutions to companies with projects in the power sector and related areas across the entire energy value chain. The business model of the firm is to partner in infrastructure development and support the power sector by catering to the financial requirements of the sector. According to its website, the firm offers debt financing, fee-based services and also equity investments for both greenfield and brownfield projects. PTC India, a leading provider of power trading solutions in India, was established in the year 1999 as a Government of India initiated public-private partnership, with a mandate to develop a commercially vibrant power market in the country. Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-17 00:33:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic could reverse gains made by African countries in their quest to reverse biodiversity and wildlife loss, says a report launched in Nairobi on Thursday. John Waithaka, regional chairman for East and Southern Africa at the International Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said the global pandemic was undermining the protection of endangered species. "Monitoring of illegal wildlife trade, conducting anti-poaching operations and carrying out regular patrols have slowed down since the outbreak of the pandemic," said Waithaka. He spoke during the launch of the report, "The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Africa's protected areas operations and programs' in Nairobi. Waithaka said that COVID-19 is hampering security operations, weakening protected areas' collaboration with key partners and taking away the revenue that supports many biodiversity conservation programs. He said that without adequate law-enforcement personnel on the ground, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and other crimes against nature are likely to escalate. "The conservation gains achieved in the recent past are at high risk with dire consequences to sustainable development, human health and well-being," said Waithaka. According to the report that was compiled from 19 African countries in June, the widespread impact of COVID-19 may necessitate the development of Africa-wide strategies for responding to future pandemics. It urges support of conservation outside protected areas, monitoring illegal wildlife trade and protecting endangered species by conducting regular field patrols. "A possible spike in poaching calls for strengthening of regular patrols and enhancement of security measures, including anti-poaching, gathering of intelligence and conducting targeted investigations that have been weakened by COVID-19," said the report. The report identified inadequate financial resources as one of the challenges facing protected areas, weakening their capacity to cope with the impacts of COVID-19. "COVID-19 has made a bad situation even worse, with most countries losing 60-100 percent of the revenue from tourism and other sources during the lockdown period," says the report. It says that 79 percent of protected areas in Africa could only sustain their basic operations up to 6 months due to financial hardships linked to the pandemic. Enditem Australian woman Sara Connor has been released from Kerobokan Prison after serving four years for her role in the fatal assault of a policeman on a Bali beach. The Byron Bay mother-of-two was jailed in the notorious Bali prison after the bashing death of police officer Wayan Sudarsa in Kuta in 2016. She was jailed alongside her then-boyfriend, British national David Taylor, after they were found guilty of the death. A brief statement from security firm Tora Solutions said the 49-year-old woman was released on Thursday into the custody of Indonesian Immigration. Connor was all smiles as she posed for a photo in the lead up to her release. The former hairdresser also showed off her inked fingers after being issued her release papers. Free at last! Sara Connor is escorted to a waiting car after being released from prison in Bali The Australian woman covered her face with a headscarf as she was bundled into the back of an immigration vehicle She was all smiles the day before being released from Kerobokan Prison after serving four years for her role in the fatal assault of a policeman on a Bali beach Connor and her British boyfriend were convicted over the murder of a local policeman. She is pictured (above) inside an immigration office after her release 'Ms Connor is still waiting to be issued with travel documents, which were requested 91 days ago from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT),' the statement from Tora Solutions read. 'Upon receipt of these documents, Ms Connor will be repatriated.' The statement went on to say Ms Connor was looking forward to returning home and grateful for the support she had received. Connor will be deported back to her sons in Australia, having spent her time inside honing her craft as an artist and undertaking hair-dressing, crochet and make-up courses. She will leave ex-boyfriend Taylor, who is serving a six-year sentence in Kerobokan's male prison for his part in the officer's death. However, there are concerns she could be killed in a revenge attack as soon as she's released after a cop killer on the popular tourist island was recently murdered in Sulawesi upon their release from jail. 'We want to ensure her safety when she is released from prison. We don't want another revenge killing,' Mr Suprapto, the corrections division head of the Law and Human Right ministry's Bali office, told The Daily Telegraph. 'Her safety is our consideration. Cases where victims are police officers can attract persecution.' The Byron Bay mother-of-two was issued her release papers on Thursday after a four-year stint behind bars Connor showed off her inked fingers before she was released from Kerobokan prison in Bali With the number of flights between Bali and Australia drastically reduced during the coronavirus pandemic, the mother of two could become a sitting target. Connor may need to be held in a detention cell at Denpasar Airport until a flight can be made available. When she eventually arrives in Australia, she will then have to serve a further 14 days in a COVID-19 hotel quarantine. Prisoners serving time with Connor say she has grown paranoid in the weeks leading up to her release and will lash out at anyone she suspects is trying to take a photo of her. Although she has retrained as a hairdresser during her sentence and took up painting, insiders say she has grown very withdrawn and now rejects any jail activities including exercise, arts and even food. 'Sara keeps to herself and is not friendly. Not to anyone. She didn't participate in our recent fashion show and never gets involved with dance, or anything that the jail asks her to be part of,' a prisoner, who did not wish to be named, said. 'She thinks people will sell her photo and is crazy and paranoid about that. She loves her ciggies and coffee and hanging out in a quiet corner.' Connor is pictured in hand cuffs during her trial at Denpasar District Court in Bali on February 14, 2017 Connor (pictured) is set to walk free on Thursday after spending the past four years behind bars for her role in the fatal assault of a local policeman at Kuta Beach in August 2016 Connor's 'relaxing holiday' turned into a 'nightmare' when her then British boyfriend David Taylor (pictured) beat a police officer of 35 years to death with multiple objects A man walks past the main gate of the notorious Kerobokan Prison where Connor is currently being held Connor's 'relaxing holiday' turned into a 'nightmare' when her then British boyfriend David Taylor, beat a police officer of 35 years to death with multiple objects. They included a mobile phone, the officer's own binoculars and a Bintang beer bottle. The holidaying couple were cuddling at the water's edge at Kuta Beach before the killing unfolded. An Indonesian court found that the now 38-year-old 'DJ Nutzo' confronted officer Wayan Sudarsa after Connor had lost her purse. He began to frisk Mr Sudarsa before the situation violently escalated. Connor was found to have put her arm around the policeman's neck and sat on his stomach an was convicted of fatal assault in company. The mum, whose children are now 13 and 15, claimed she was bitten by Mr Sudarsa when trying to separate the pair, and ran away, ending her involvement. Taylor claimed he was 'in fear of his life', when he struck Mr Sudarsa over the head with a beer bottle. Security consultant John McLeod (pictured) has been approached to escort Byron Bay mother of two Sara Connor out of the notorious Kerobokan jail When Mr Sudarsa was motionless, Taylor took the officer's identification cards. At Ms Connor's trial, the judges said she cut up Mr Sudarsa's ID cards not to protect his identity and stop them from being stolen, but because she panicked and felt guilty. Taylor later told Ms Connor the police officer was 'passed out' on the beach. They had no idea, they claimed, of the seriousness of Mr Sudarsa's injuries. Dr Dudut Rustyadi, who performed the autopsy on Mr Sudarsa, told their trials it would have taken him at least two hours to die and had someone intervened he might have been saved. Instead, Connor and Taylor returned to their hotel, cut up Mr Sudarsa's cards and left for nearby Jimbaran later that morning. Two days later, Connor turned on her mobile phone and learned of his death. She has since offered $2,500 in compensation offered to the policeman's widow, and has always maintained her innocence. Taylor is serving a six-year sentence for his part in the officer's fatal assault. Naqvi, who founded one of the largest private equity firms in Dubai, The Abraaj Group, has close links with Pakistan's top politicians, bureaucrats and big-time hawala operators. London, July 16 (IANS) Ostensibly at the behest of Islamabad, Pakistani diplomats are going all out to scuttle the extradition process of Karachi born business tycoon Arif Naqvi, who has been accused of global money laundering by the US authorities. On the request of US federal authorities, the Scotland Yard had arrested Naqvi, who lives with his family in Central London, last year. Sources said that soon after his release in May 2019 from London's Wandsworth Prison, Naqvi had met Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was on a state visit to Britain. Naqvi's family is also said to be close to Pakistan's High Commissioner in London, Mohammad Nafees Zakaria. The career diplomat from Pakistan, Zakaria had an early stint as Deputy High Commissioner here, and has considerable clout in the British political and legal circles. Islamabad fears that Naqvi's extradition to the US will spill the beans on the Abraaj Group's connections with some of the most influential people in the government, including Karachi and Dubai based hawala operators with shady backgrounds. Islamabad also helped Naqvi return all the money the group owed to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and other Americans associated with the funds. On the basis of settling accounts with the Americans, Naqvi's lawyers argued that a trial could now be held in the UK where Naqvi lives. Sources said that besides a battery of lawyers engaged by billionaire Naqvi, Pakistani diplomats are providing documentation and logistical support to the alleged scamster, accused of misappropriation of funds worth over $230 million. Naqvi, as per records available with IANS, led the Abraaj Group in Dubai which once claimed to manage $13 billion funds, and later got involved in misusing public money, stealing public funds and money laundering. In Abraaj's healthcare fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also invested large amounts. Initially it was the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which got a whiff of the racket and raised concerns about misuse of its funds, helping trigger the Abraaj Group's demise. Interestingly, Naqvi's family had earlier established the Aman Foundation, an NGO in Karachi, and went ahead to forge an alliance with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to start a family planning programme with blessings of the state government in Sindh province. A graduate from the London School of Economics, Naqvi has served in several multinational companies. In 2002, he founded Abraaj Capital, and in 2012 the company merged with Aureos Capital to become The Abraaj Group. When the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation raised an alarm over misuse of funds, Naqvi quietly stepped down as CEO of The Abraaj Group, as the company became the subject of multiple investigations regarding its fund management practices. Questions have also been raised over Naqvi's rich collection of arts. Before the collapse of Abraaj, an art work owned by Naqvi was sold through Christie's for 2 million pounds in 2018. --IANS ds/arm Opposition parties struggle with how to play a Covid-19 role South Africas opposition parties appear to be confused, chasing shadows or paralysed by the enormity of the Covid-19 crisis. Opposition parties, are supposed to hold government accountable, offer new ideas on post-Covid-19 economic, political and social reconstruction and act in such a way the public would perceive them to be able to do a better job if they would have been in government. Yet, South Africas opposition parties appear to struggle to come to terms over what role they should play in the pandemic engulfing South Africa. Some opposition parties, such as the Inkatha Freedom Party, United Democratic Movement and the GOOD party appear to have entirely disappeared from the public scene in the aftermath of Covid-19 crisis. At the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak the opposition parties started well-enough. Outside parliament the 14 opposition parties issued a joint declaration: The 14 political parties in our Parliament are standing together, across party political divides, to fight this disease together. We hereby demonstrate practically that we are united as the leaders of our nation to overcome this global crisis facing our country and our people. Opposition parties even made innovative proposals then. For example opposition parties proposed that government gave an Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) contribution holiday to employers, allow for Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds and for government to encourage business to propose payment holidays on property loans, business loans and vehicle loans. After that things went peer-shaped for the opposition. The Economic Freedom Fighters since have supported Madagascars untested herbal drink as an African solution cure for Covid-19. The World Health Organisation has rejected the herbal drink saying ordinary Africans also deserve medicines which have been clinically tested, just like communities in Western or other developing countries. EFF leader Julius Malema have also been touting African herbs including the herb commonly known as Umhlonyana in isiZulu, Lengana in Sesotho, Wilde Als in Afrikaans and Artemisia or African Wormwood in English. Lets start bottling it nicely because the only thing that we buy from these people is their fancy packaging, Malema said. Separately, Malema said South Africans must be defy moving the lockdown to level 3 on 1 June, saying if the EFF was in power, it would keep the lockdown at level 5, even if it means collapsing the economy. If this white economy collapses, let it collapse, he said, as if the economy is only made up of white participants, and as if only white, not black people will suffer if the economy collapses. Economic Freedom Fighters MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi saw a conspiracy in US billionaire Bill Gates offering to help African countries amid the coronavirus outbreak, rather than embracing help to stem the rising Covid-19 tide from overwhelming South African and African health and economic systems. Ndlozi tweeted: Nothing qualifies the university drop out Bill Gates to lead debates on vaccines & medical responses to #covid_19 except that he holds shares in BIG pharmaceutical companies. Its a FACT that Gates is an under educated computer nerd who dropped out of university to become rich! The Democratic Alliance attacked Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel for gazetting a list of clothing and related products that could be for sale in retail stores during level 4 lockdown as frankly mad and seem more at place during the 1980s under the Soviet Union than they do in a democracy like SA. Patel defended the clothing regulations saying they were requested by industry bodies and was aimed at pushing SA-made products to boost the local manufacturing and retail sector. The clothing industry bodies supported Patel. The National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF), the industry body which include Mr Price, Pick n Pay clothing and Queenspark, and the Apparel and Textiles Association of SA (Atasa) supported the gazetted regulations for their potential to ensure a form of social and economic recovery by many distressed companies in the sector. In holding government accountable, the opposition, should try to articulate realistic alternative policies for governing the country, which means they have to promote the interests of, and be relevant to the wider population. Off course, an opposition party, may decide it wants to remain small, and would rather just play a minimal watchdog role and only focus on the interests of a small core constituency, or alternatively just criticise government for the sake of it, just to get attention, with no intentions of wanting to be taken seriously as a possible government-in waiting. Nevertheless, the opposition should ensure the sitting government make decisions in a transparent, rational and fair way. And get government to explain the reasons for coming to certain decisions. As a case in point, there has been very little rational explanation from government why tobacco and alcohol could not be sold during level 5 and 4 lockdowns and why e-commerce was not allowed. Currently there has been no parliamentary oversight or even debate of the Disaster Management Act or the declared state of emergency, which gives the government extensive powers, nevertheless, opposition parties can still do so in parliament. They have not done so. The DA and the Freedom Plus (FF+) did say they were planning to go to court to challenge the constitutionality of some lockdown regulations. The government has reopened schools, yet with no readiness plan, given that social distance in public transport and schools are almost impossible, that many public schools do not have basic amenities such as working toilets and that pupils, if infected, will in turn infect vulnerable family members at home. Mmusi Maimanes One South Africa movement had petitioned the Constitutional Court to challenge governments decision to reopen schools, but the court dismissed the application. The opposition should hold government accountable to ensuring that human rights, freedom of expression and equal treatment is respected during the implementation of the lockdown. They must make certain that food gets to the poor on time; that the unemployed can access Covid-19 social grant quickly and easily without red tape; that distress businesses can get help quickly and fairly from the R500bn Covid-19 fund. They should insist civil society organisations to get funding from the R500bn Covid-19 fund, which is not currently the case. They should safeguard against corruption, mismanagement and waste of Covid-19 funding; and watch over Covid-19 funding to ensure it is given to struggling businesses based on merit, fairness and common sense. They should push for government to partner with civil society and business to deliver public services during Covid-19 crisis; and to advocate for the public and private health sector partner to share resources, expertise and services to combat Covid-19, which is not currently the case. William Gumede is Associate Professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand; and author of Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times (Tafelberg). This article was first published in the Daily Dispatch. The Centre's nodal ministry for labour and employment has been missing in action during the biggest job and income crises of our time. How many workers lost jobs and incomes due to the lockdown? How many have been rehired since the unlocking began on June 1? How many migrants went home and how many have returned? How many of those who lost their jobs received government assistance? These are basic questions to which no answers are available because the government is not tracking these developments. There is official confirmation on this. Working in a complete information and policy vacuum On June 1, the day the unlocking began, Minister for MSMEs and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari said there had "not been any official analysis" of job loss, grudgingly admitting that the lockdown "definitely impacted it (jobs)" when the evidence was all around, staring at the face. Also Read: Rebooting Economy V: Why healthy environment is critical to fight COVID-19 pandemic For the labour ministry, this is an encore. It was missing in action during the job crisis of pre-pandemic years too. One can be forgiven for not knowing the name of the union labour minister. This is contrary to the mandate though. The ministry, on its website, claims that its "main responsibility" is "to protect and safeguard the interests of workers" and that it is "focused on promotion of welfare and providing social security to the labour force both in organised and unorganised sectors". These claims sound hollow. A simple tracking of its activities through the statements it has issued would show why. The ministry's website lists 20 press statements in all, issued between April 18 and July 8, 2020. Of these, 12 relate to provident fund (PF) related matters. Not one mentions the state of employment or job loss or income loss of workers. There is no information about mass reverse migration except for a passing mention that it is collecting and passing on information to states for assistance. A statement says Rs 4,957 crore has been paid to construction workers (Rs 1,000-Rs 6,000 to each) from their welfare fund. This is just 9.5% of Rs 52,000 crore lying unutilised in the welfare fund. Why is there so much focus on EPF? It is because that constitutes a pivot of the government's response. There are three moves relating to PF. First, on March 29 the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme of 1952 was amended "to allow withdrawal of non-refundable advance by EPF members/subscribers...up to the amount of basic wages and dearness allowance for three months or up to 75% of the amount standing to member's credit in the EPF account..." Second, PF contribution for employers and employees reduced from 12% to 10% until August. How allowing organised sector workers (6% of total workforce) to withdraw from their own contingency post-retirement fund constitutes a state assistance defies logic. Or, for that matter, a temporary reduction of 2% in contribution to PF fund? Third, the PF support to establishments having up to 100 workers and 90% of them claiming less than Rs 15,000 a month is extended (announced in March) to August. This is to protect jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it working? There is no evidence either way or how much money the government has paid to save jobs. Also Read: Rebooting Economy IV: Is govt using environmental laws to protect polluting industries? These measures are for the organised sector. What about the unorganised workers constituting 94% of the total workforce and the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic? A few measures have been announced for those, including the migrants who went back home. One is an additional credit facility for the MSMEs providing second-most jobs at 111 million after agriculture. But there are no takers. There wouldn't be any takers for such credit until economic uncertainty continues as the world has repeatedly learnt since the 1929 Great Depression. Businesses don't need to take credit or invest in capacity building when demand is weak and industrial production has crashed. Liquidity measures are a waste and the RBI knows it. (For more read, ' Coronavirus Lockdown XIX: Where is excess liquidity generated by RBI going ?') The uncertainties would continue for some more time with several states (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal) and cities (Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad) continuing complete shutdown a month-and-half after the "unlocking" began on June 1. Then there is the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojna, announced in late June, which is an amalgamation of 25 existing schemes with no additional allocation. It would provide jobs to migrants who went back home in 116 districts in six states. But that means the existing local jobless and job seekers in these areas would be short-changed and hence, it is a zero-sum game. Then there is the additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for the rural job guarantee scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), long condemned as a "living monument of UPA's failures", inadequate to meet existing work demand for several years and the average days of work for households remains less than 50 days (average of five previous fiscals is 48 days). All three measures are designed as distress relief measures ab initio. These are not part of a job creation policy or strategy to address structural deficiencies that caused a job crisis in the pre-pandemic era in the first place. What about the job crisis in urban areas? Nothing has been heard. To cut to the chase, the government is working on a complete information and policy vacuum. Job crisis unacknowledged and unattended for years India's job crisis is not new but the NDA-II regime has refused to acknowledge it or take remedial measures even though it promised one crore jobs every year. In January 2019, the government stopped the release of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of 2017-18 report for showing the unemployment rate (UR) at a 45-year-high of 6.1%. It was released post-2019 election win but the three subsequent budgets (one interim) and two Economic Surveys were silent. Amidst the current job crisis, the government released the PLFS of 2018-19 in June stating that the Unemployment Ratio (UR) had fallen to 5.8%, even though it is statistically insignificant (The error margins (RSE) in UR for both reports is 1.8-2%) and irrelevant to the current crisis. The pandemic has worsened the job crisis. Riding on precarious 94% of workers in unorganised sector Indian economy is riding on one of the most enfeebled and vulnerable workforces in the world. The labour ministry's website says, 43.7 crore of a total workforce of 46.5 crore is in the "unorganised sector". This works out to be 94% of the total workforce. By its very definition, the unorganised sector and workers have little legal protection, jobs or social security in India. The unorganised sector is defined as enterprises with less than 10 workers, owned by individuals or self-employed; unorganised workers are home-based, self-employed or a wage worker in the unorganised sector and includes those in the organised sector not covered under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. (For more, read " Labour reforms: No one knows the size of India's informal workforce, not even the govt ") Besides, there are a large number of "informal" employments in the organised sector (no legal and social security protections), such as short-term contracts (quarterly contracts, for example), causal and retainers. That should take the number of precarious workers (called 'precariat') to a higher level. In January 2020, the government declared it would hold a survey to count their numbers for providing them social security. But, the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed it indefinitely. Internationally, similar enterprises and workers are called "informal". Informal enterprises are not covered by law or insufficiently covered by formal arrangements. Informal employments are de facto or de jure not subject to labour laws or entitled to social protection and benefits like advance notice of dismissal, severance pay, paid annual or sick leave, etc. Also Read: Rebooting Economy III: All that's wrong with India's environmental governance Though not the same, India uses both "informal" and "unorganised" alternately for some decades now. For example, without an official definition for "informal", the Economic Survey of 2018-19 said "almost 93%" of the total workforce is "informal", without even disclosing its source of information. Globally, India stands at the top when it comes to "informal" workers. An OECD-ILO study of May 2019 says India's informal workers constitute 88.2% of the total workforce. India is clubbed with some of the least developed economies like Sub-Saharan Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia etc. Broadly speaking, the report says, informality represents 70% in developing and emerging economies and about 18% in developed countries. Why informality is a concern? The OECD-ILO report, 'Tackling Vulnerability in the Informal Economy', lists some: (i) higher presence of unskilled workers and low productivity (50% of formal sector workers) (ii) in-work poverty risk is 200% higher - 42% informal workers live in poverty worldwide (iii) greater risks and vulnerability due to unprotected status, inferior working conditions and (iv) higher presence of low-paid wages and a high wage gap from formal employment. In India, the Economic Survey of 2015-16 found that wages in the organised/formal sector are over 20 times higher, on average. The Indian economy is riding on 88.2-94% of such low-skilled, lowly paid with little job or social security cover. Are they capable of building a robust economy? Or quickly rebuild an economy battered by the lockdown? No social security for 88.5% of workers; their numbers are growing How many Indian workers have social security? No official data exists but an estimate can be made. Also Read: Rebooting Economy II: What stock market boom means to people and economy The PLFS of 2018-19 says 51.9% of regular wage/salaried in the non-agriculture sector are "not eligible for any social security benefit". Since regular wage/salaried constitute 23.8% of the total workforce - the rest being self-employed (52.1%) and casual workers (24.1%) - those without social security work out to be 88.5% of the total workforce. Social security benefits mean provident fund (PF), pension, gratuity, healthcare, and maternity benefits singly or in any combination (as per the PLFS report). Those not eligible for any social security benefit in 2017-18 were 49.6%, as per the PLFS of 2017-18. In 2018-19, their number went up to 51.9%. If the well-off among the self-employed, like doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, and others, who would have their own private social security arrangements, are added, the total number would go up but by what is not known in absence of data. Assuming an addition of 2%, those without social security will still be 86.5%. Toothless social security laws Such a poor social security cover is because of official negligence. The only law that provides social security to unorganised workers is the Unorganised Workers' Social Security (UWSS) Act of 2008. It is proposed to be subsumed in the Social Security Code of 2019, now pending before a parliamentary committee. Neither the UWSS Act of 2008 nor the Social Security Code of 2019 is designed to ensure what they claim to do. Here is how Prof. Ravi Srivastava, an eminent labour economist with long experience in formulating social security measures as a former member of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), currently a faculty at the Institute for Human Development, explains their failings. Also Read: Rebooting Economy I: Why stock market is booming when COVID-19-hit economy sinks Regarding the UWSS Act of 2008, Prof. Srivastava says, "It did not provide an adequate legislative framework for universal social security to unorganised workers. It didn't provide a financial framework as social security was to be provided through separate schemes. It provided for registration of unorganised workers, but even that has not been implemented by successive governments." About the 2019 Social Security Code, he says, "Almost the same provisions have been incorporated in this code. Further, it has taken out informal workers in organised sector, like contract and casual workers, from the purview of organised sector schemes of EPF and ESI. They are now part of unorganised workers without any mandatory social security coverage." That is because Prof. Srivastava says these laws are so designed to provide for framing various social security schemes, but there is no timeline, nor is it mandatory for those to be universal. Strong protests from trade unions and labour economists forced the government to send the 2019 Code to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for re-examination. The U.S. Space Force has selected the first active-duty airmen to transfer into the new service. It announced Thursday that it has chosen 2,410 members within the space operations (13S) and space systems operations (1C6) career fields, who will start transferring Sept. 1. Read Next: US Backs France in Standoff with Turkey over Warships "This is an exciting and historic time for these space operators, who will be some of the first members to join the Space Force," said Lt. Gen. David "DT" Thompson, Space Force vice commander, in a release. "Each one of them has an important responsibility to contribute bold ideas to shape the Space Force into a 21st century service." Officials said in June that approximately 8,500 active-duty airmen across 13 eligible officer and enlisted career fields had signed up to move permanently into the Defense Department's sixth military branch, which is part of the Department of the Air Force. The branch, which was signed into existence by President Donald Trump on Dec. 20, 2019, is currently operating with the aid of 16,000 airmen and civilians detailed temporarily from what was formerly known as Air Force Space Command. Officials have said that about 6,000 of those temporary personnel will be offered the opportunity to formally transfer into the Space Force by year's end. The service currently has only 88 members. They include Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, the chief of space operations and head of U.S. Space Command; Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman, the senior enlisted adviser of the Space Force and command senior enlisted leader of Space Command; and 86 new lieutenants who graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in April. The Air Force ran an application program in May. Officials have said there will be windows for the other service members -- such as those in the Army and Navy -- to apply and join, but news of a limited inter-service transfer will not be announced before next year. Any Army and Navy personnel chosen to move will not do so until fiscal years 2022-23, according to the release. The 13S and 1C6 career fields are considered "organic space specialties," officials said Thursday. Those chosen will soon receive messages via the MyPers website on the next steps for their commission or enlistment into the Space Force. "While most members will execute their transfers around Sept. 1, some members awaiting various administrative processes, such as a pending promotion board, will transfer at a later date when those actions are completed," the release states. "The actual number of members who complete transfers may differ slightly from the number approved for transfer as members make this personal decision based on their individual and family circumstances at that time." The airmen who made up the 8,500-person pool included volunteers from specialties that are common to both air and space jobs, such as intelligence (14N), cyberspace operations (17X), developmental engineer (62E), acquisition manager (63A), operations intelligence (1N0), geospatial intelligence (1N1), signals intelligence (1N2), fusion analyst (1N4), targeting analyst (1N8), cyberspace support (3D0), and client systems (3D1). For volunteers in these common career fields, transfer boards will be scheduled in coming months, with initial transfers beginning in February 2021. Should airmen in the organic space fields change their minds or decline a transfer, the Air Force will work with them to apply to transfer into a new career field, move into the Reserve, or apply for separation or retirement, the service has previously said. These members should expect a notification in MyPers later this month, according to the release. "In the meantime, those members will remain in the Air Force and may be assigned duties in the Space Force," it adds. "At the end of the transition period, expected to be sometime in 2022, organic space specialties will be removed from Air Force inventory, and assignments in those mission areas will no longer be an option for Air Force members." Guardsmen and reservists who are already executing space missions and currently aligned with the Space Force will continue supporting it; officials are weighing how best to incorporate them. A Space Force Reserve component is still being considered. In June, the Space Force announced how its personnel will be organized, down to the squadron level. The service will operate with three primary field commands: Space Operations Command (SpOC), which will support combatant commanders with Space Force personnel and capabilities; Space Systems Command (SSC), which will acquire space systems from industry; and Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), which will be responsible for training space professionals, according to a separate release. In the Air Force, subordinate to its headquarters is the major command, which is then composed of a numbered air force, wing, group, squadron and flight. The Space Force by comparison will have only three echelons of command: the field commands, deltas and squadrons, officials said. Other pending Space Force decisions include uniform updates, insignia and a logo design. Officials are also deciding what to call its members. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Related: Major Space Force Units to Be Called Deltas, Officials Announce Twitter Washington: Unidentified hackers broke into the Twitter accounts of technology moguls, politicians, celebrities and major companies in an apparent Bitcoin scam. It included bogus tweets from former President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Advertisement Barack ObamaCelebrities Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, were also hacked. The fake tweets offered to send USD 2,000 for every USD 1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address. There is no evidence that the owners of these accounts were targeted themselves. The Biden campaign, said that Twitter's integrity team locked down the account within a few minutes of the breach and removed the related tweet. Advertisement Obama's office had no immediate comment. The FBI said it was aware of Twitter's security breach, but declined further comment. The security problem was severe enough for Twitter to warn that many of its more than 166 million daily users might be unable to tweet or reset their passwords while the company tried to lock things down. TwitterThe Bitcoin account mentioned in the fake tweets appears to have been created on Wednesday. By the end of the day, it had received almost 12.9 bitcoins, an amount currently valued at slightly more than 114,000. At some point during the day, roughly half that sum in bitcoin was withdrawn from the account. Advertisement Bezos, Gates and Musk are among the 10 richest people in the world, with tens of millions of followers on Twitter. The three men are worth a combined 362 billion, according to the latest calculations by Forbes magazine. This is hardly the first time hackers have created mischief on Twitter. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 20:58:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases surged in some Asia-Pacific countries on Thursday as India, Japan's capital, and Australian State of Victoria reported the highest daily spike of new cases. India's federal health ministry Thursday morning recorded 606 new deaths and 32,695 more COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 24,915 and total cases to 968,876. This is said to be the highest single day spike in the number of fresh cases in the country so far. The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients increased to 63.25 percent. The ministry said 612,815 patients had been cured and 331,146 were under active medical supervision, as the recovery rate stood at 63.25 percent. Bangladesh registered 39 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the country's death toll to around 2,500. Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing that "2,733 new COVID-19 positive cases and 39 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh." "The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 196,323, while fatalities stood at 2,496," she said, adding that the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh stood at 1.27 percent. The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 61,266 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,498 new cases. The death toll also increased to 1,643 after 29 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH said. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said late on Wednesday that Metro Manila will remain under general community quarantine until July 31 despite the steady spike of coronavirus cases in the capital, home to about 15 million people. The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,574 within one day to 81,668, with the death toll adding by 76 to 3,873, Achmad Yurianto, a health ministry official, told a press conference. According to him, 1,295 more people had been discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 40,345. The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed a record 286 new infections in the capital, with the latest figure surpassing the previous daily record of 243 cases reported last Friday. The metropolitan government amid a recent uptick in cases has raised its coronavirus alert level to the highest on its four tier scale. The latest rise in cases brings Tokyo's cumulative total to 8,640 COVID-19 cases, the highest among the nation's 47 prefectures and accounting for more than one-third of all cases nationwide, official figures showed Thursday. The Australian state of Victoria recorded its biggest daily increase of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, with 317 confirmed cases. Victoria is the center of a renewed outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia, with close to 2,800 new infections for the state in July alone. According to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, 289 of Thursday's cases remained under investigation by health experts, while 28 were connected to known clusters. Andrews also revealed that two men in their 80s had died after contracting the virus, taking the national death toll to 113. Fourteen more U.S. soldiers and their family members tested positive for COVID-19 amid rising concerns about imported cases, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 88, according to Yonhap news agency. It came amid growing concerns about the imported cases. In the latest tally, South Korea reported 61 more COVID-19 cases for the past 24 hours, raising the combined number of infections to 13,612. Malaysia reported three new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national total to 8,737, the Health Ministry said. Meanwhile, the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) scheduled from March next year, has been cancelled over concerns related to the outbreak, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Enditem A leading Australian stylist has revealed the best budget dupes for expensive shoes - including on-trend Jimmy Choo heels and the iconic Chanel two-tone pumps. Jamie Lee, from Sydney, said loving fashion and having good taste needn't cost you thousands of dollars, and you can easily find cheaper pieces that rival the expensive brands. Recently, the stylist uploaded a YouTube video, detailing the budget dupes she has found for the likes of Mansur Gavriel, Chanel, Fendi and The Row. So what do you need to know? Scroll down for video A leading Australian stylist has revealed the best budget dupes for expensive shoes - including on-trend Jimmy Choo heels and the iconic Chanel two-tone pumps (Jamie Lee pictured) The first pair of shoes that Jamie found a dupe for was her beloved Jimmy Choo embellished shoes, which cost $1,350 (left). Jamie found a version available from Kurt Geiger for just $290 (right) and she said they were the perfect 'occasional' shoe Jimmy Choo embellished shoes = $1,350 Kurt Geiger embellished shoes = $290 The first pair of shoes that Jamie found a dupe for was her beloved Jimmy Choo embellished shoes, which cost $1,350. 'I remember when I first came across the designer version of these shoes and I thought they were absolutely divine,' Jamie said on the video. 'I loved the detail and the embellishment across the strap and I hadn't seen anything else like them.' The stylist (pictured) explained that a love of fashion needn't cost you thousands, and you can often find budget dupes Jimmy Choos unfortunately often cost upwards of $1,000, which - for Jamie - was too much for an 'occasional shoe'. 'But I stumbled upon this $290 pair from Kurt Geiger,' she said, commenting on their similarities. 'I actually think I prefer the budget dupe,' she said. 'The designer version is a patent leather, and I find with a bunion on my left foot, patent shoes just don't really cut it for me. 'They are often really uncomfortable, so I tend to go for leather.' Jamie said she has invested in the Kurt Geiger embellished shoes, and finds them 'perfect'. 'I love the apricot-toned nude as opposed to being more of a cooler, lighter nude, and I think they're very flattering and elongating on the foot,' she added. The second pair of shoes that Jamie took a look at was a pair of slingback heels by the French brand, Mansur Gavriel ($732; left). She found a version available from Everlane for just $231 (right) and said they are almost identical in style Mansur Gavriel slingback heels = $732 Everlane slingback heels = $231 The second pair of shoes that Jamie took a look at was a pair of slingback heels by the French brand, Mansur Gavriel. 'I always wanted to buy a pair of slingback pumps, but these ones were over $500 and so I set about looking for a cheaper pair,' she said. The stylist eventually found something in Everlane's Editor slingback heel pumps, which are very similar, but cost just $231. 'They effectively do the same thing as the Mansur Gavriel shoes, they just don't have an adjustable leather strap on the side,' she said. 'I thought these were a really good match, but at a much friendlier price point.' When Fendi released a pair of $1,547 combat boots, fashion lovers were quick to rush to get their hands on the stylish staple (left). But there is a Tony Bianco pair available for a fraction of the price, at just $249.95 (right) Fendi combat boots = $1,547 Tony Bianco combat boots = $249.95 When Fendi released a pair of $1,547 combat boots, fashion lovers were quick to rush to get their hands on the stylish staple. But there is a Tony Bianco pair available for a fraction of the price, at just $249.95. 'If you don't like things that scream designer, you might actually prefer the Tony Bianco shoes,' Jamie said. 'They don't have the logo on them, they're very classic and you can wear them year after year. Chanel's dad sandals costs cost $1,580 and tap into the 'ugly shoe' trend (pictured) But you can get your hands on a similar pair from the Iconic brand Atmos and Here, which cost just $109.99 (pictured) Chanel dad sandals = $1,580 Atmos and Here dad sandals = $109.99 When it comes to fashion pieces like dad sandals, while it can be tempting to fork out big bucks for them, Jamie said in fact you're far better off getting a cheaper trend piece. 'The Chanel sandals are a bit of a Marmite one, as they have a velcro strap across the feet and kind of look like an orthopaedic sandal,' she said. 'If money was no object, I would find a pair, but I did spot that Atmos and Here at The Iconic have a great budget version and they are a really good dupe.' Jamie said she loves the quilted effect on the Atmos and Here version, which adds a luxury feel. You can never go wrong with a classic Chanel two-tone pump, but at $1,340, they are a pricey investment (left). But Jamie said a pair of $229 pumps from Vaneli is a great alternative that will save you big dollars (right) Chanel two-tone pumps = $1,340 Vaneli two-tone pumps = $229 You can never go wrong with a classic Chanel two-tone pump, but at $1,340, they are a pricey investment. But Jamie said a pair of $229 pumps from Vaneli is a great alternative that will save you big dollars. 'These are such a classic, timeless shoe that you can wear forever,' Jamie said. 'I love the Vaneli version and have two pairs. They are fantastic and really great quality.' Finally, you can never go wrong with a pair of suede loafers. But why spend $1,299 on a pair from the It brand The Row (left) when you could buy a similar pair from Seed for $39.95? (right) The Row suede loafers = $1,299 Seed suede loafers = $39.95 Finally, you can never go wrong with a pair of suede loafers. But why spend $1,299 on a pair from the It brand The Row when you could buy a similar pair from Seed for $39.95? 'I spotted a similar pair to the beautiful Row loafers on the Seed website recently,' Jamie said. 'They have the same look in terms of silhouette and look, and they come in four different colours.' The stylist said they could be a good addition to your working wardrobe, particularly with more of us working from home more frequently in light of the coronavirus crisis, as they smarten any look in seconds. Comal County hospitalizations from COVID-19 have doubled over the last week, officials told county commissioners on Thursday morning. The county added 46 new cases of the disease but no additional deaths. As of this morning, we have 1,468 cases of the virus in Comal County, which is an increase of 46 from yesterday, said Paul Anthony, county public information officer, reporting in place of Public Health Director Cheryl Fraser. Anthony said there are 1,117 confirmed and 351 probable cases, with 30 dead and 533 now recovered from the virus. That leaves us with 905 active cases in the county, he added. Of those, 62 are hospitalized, which is roughly double the amount we reported last week. Hospitals are experiencing a lot of stress right now their staffs are also being affected by COVID-19. Weve seen hospital numbers double from the 31 we reported last week, and since then weve added 323 new cases. So its not looking like (coronavirus cases) will be going away anytime soon. Anthony said he is working with Resolute and CHRISTUS hospitals to publicize COVID-19 data on open and occupied hospital beds, staffing and other information specific to Comal County. That information is updated daily on dashboards in Bexar, Travis and other counties. They are reporting those numbers to STRAC (Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council) but its been hard (deciphering) the way they report it, Anthony said. But were seeking a way to get that information out to the public. Anthony said of 9,017 tests, Comal Countys positivity rate the percentage of tests with a positive result is now 16.28%, up from 16.05% on Wednesday and 14.06% one week ago. Anthony said the state has assigned two additional epidemiologists to help track Comal County virus cases. One will focus on studying ever-increasing cases among nursing home residents and staffers. Because of this volume, public health has assigned one of its four epidemiologists full time to just communicate with and help these facilities on a daily basis to find out what numbers they have and what means they have, he said, adding the state is also providing two data entry clerks to help process data into the states virus tracing system. +2 New Braunfels ICUs near capacity with increased COVID patients Administrators at Resolute Health Hospital and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - New Braunfels Public health is also working with the Department of State Health Services to provide education, evaluation and recommended best practices to assist them in improving outcomes because COVID-19 had significantly affected their populations, Anthony said. Jeff Kelley, Comal Countys emergency management coordinator, is leading the countys partnership with the city of New Braunfels in providing help for nursing centers. Long-term residential care facilities that need personal protective equipment or other resources are asked to call 830-221-4618. Drive-thru testing Drive-thru testing continues, with 185 samples taken on Tuesday. Anthony said testing is also held on Fridays for those forwarded through the countys testing hotline, 830-221-1120. County Judge Sherman Krause last week expressed hopes the county might extend testing to three times weekly, but admitted staffing shortages have made that difficult to arrange. Anthony again expressed that Thursday, adding said test results are taking longer due to the increased numbers of tests throughout the country. Its now taking several days; before we were getting results in a day or two, he said. Its up to a week, depending on the lab, but it could take longer than that. County employees saluted Commissioners presented letters of appreciation to staffers from other county departments who pitched in to help man phones while public health office staffers were recovering or quarantined because of the virus. Honorees included county clerks office staffers Annyssa Sauceda and Cathleen Schul; district clerks office staffer Annette Leal, and Kyra Swartz of the criminal district attorneys office. There are a lot of people in our county family who have gone above and beyond and its real important to recognize them when they do, County Judge Sherman Krause said. These four people have certainly done that. Added Precinct 3 Commissioner Kevin Webb: In hard times, successful people, teams and companies pull together and dont fall apart. This is a great example of us all working together. Im really proud of (our employees) for the way theyve reacted they deserve a lot of credit. Our partnership with HealthTrio will provide our members with the state-of-the-art tools they need to better manage their care through their providers and Sendero, and get the information they need to improve their health. Sendero Health Plans announced today a new initiative to bring the latest web- and mobile- based healthcare solutions to improve the healthcare experience for its members. The local non-profit community-based health plan, providing personalized care to the Central Texas region, contracted with HealthTrio, a leading healthcare digital experience provider. This partnership will implement innovative solutions that deliver better healthcare access, inform healthcare consumers, and improve provider performance and quality care outcomes. We worked with our members to identify how we could improve their care. As a direct result, we are investing in solutions to improve member interaction and engagement with the healthcare system and Sendero, said Wesley Durkalski, CEO of Sendero Health Plans. Our partnership with HealthTrio will provide our members with the state-of-the-art tools they need to better manage their care through their providers and Sendero, and get the information they need to improve their health. Sendero Health Plans selected HealthTrio for its innovative, user-focused approach and streamlined single sign-on solutions that increase transparency, communication and collaboration to tackle complex challenges impacting the healthcare industry. Those solutions include: Member Portal: Providing members a central hub for all activity to connect Sendero members to all of the personalized tools they need in one place from paying their monthly bill to getting answers on their coverage, copays and deductibles and managing claims. Provider Portal: Connecting Sendero, providers, and members in one central, secure location ensures consistent, real-time health information that supports everything from eligibility requests to claims data to tools supporting patient care. Cost Transparency Tool: Enabling members to find and compare providers and treatments based on cost, quality and other key factors. Provider Search: Giving members access to an easy-to-use, intuitive directory to locate a provider that meets their exact needs from one of the largest networks of doctors and specialists of any health plan in the area. Mobile App: Providing a mobile application so members, who live in a vibrant tech community and the start-up Capitol of the country, can to securely access health information via a mobile device. We are so proud to partner with Sendero Health Plans and provide their members an excellent online digital experience, said Dominic Wallen, President and COO, HealthTrio. Sendero is dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing affordable, quality healthcare and we committed to helping them deliver on that mission. Sendero Health Plans new online experience powered by HealthTrio will be live in the Fall of 2020. About Sendero Health Plans Formed in 2011, Sendero Health Plans, Inc. is a community-based nonprofit Health Maintenance Organization supported by the Travis County Health District, known as Central Health, dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing affordable, quality healthcare coverage, especially for Travis County residents with low income. Sendero offers its IdealCare and SelectCare plans on the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace and is available in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Burnet, Fayette, Lee and Caldwell counties. About HealthTrio HealthTrio provides digital engagement solutions that optimize self-service, value-based care, healthcare consumerism and real-time data integration. Our selection of tools is as broad as the markets we serve from everyday tools such as eligibility, benefits and claims to advanced features supporting provider quality performance, cost transparency and automated authorizations. With in-depth security capabilities, HealthTrios Smart Series platform extends beyond the traditional member, provider, employer and broker access to include guests, caregivers, community-based organizations and a variety of other user types. For over twenty years, HealthTrio has supported health plans, administrators and integrated delivery networks to decrease costs, increase access and improve health outcomes. Moody's Investors Service said on July 16 that the Rs 12,450-crore capital injection in three state-run insurance companies is 'credit positive' as their capital had been significantly depleted over the last few years. Last week, the Union Cabinet had decided to put on hold the merger of National Insurance, The Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance and approved a Rs 12,450 crore capital infusion into these three general insurers. "The capital infusion is credit positive for the insurers, which are among the largest non-life companies in India's insurance market, because their capital has been significantly depleted by several loss-making underwriting years and significant top-line growth," Moody's said in a statement. Further, focusing on the insurers' profitability will ensure that the improvements in capital and risk management are maintained, it added. "After the capital injection, we expect renewed focus on improving the insurers' risk management and profitability. We expect the insurers to enhance their risk-based pricing and underwriting discipline to ensure organic capital growth and attract foreign reinsurance coverage, which will further aid capital adequacy," Moody's said. It further added that, the government's goal of listing the companies on the stock market will become feasible only after this. "The stock market listing itself brings in prospects of foreign ownership, which would diversify funding sources, reduce exposure to high-risk assets, enhance actuarial-led reserve and pricing and enhance the risk-based capital management. "Additionally, given these state-owned insurers' dominant position in India and ability to undercut other companies' pricing, improved pricing discipline will benefit the wider market's underwriting performance," Moody's said. However, if after the capital injection the three insurers continue to write business on loss-making terms and profitable growth is not achieved, their capital depletion and volatile required solvency margins (RSMs) will persist, which would put the plans to list the insurers at risk, it added. She made the remarks at the ceremony held to present the Friendship Medal of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba to Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Nguyen Trung Thanh in recognition of his contributions to the development of the special traditional relations between the two countries over the past three years. The highlight of the progress thus far is the visit by Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong to Cuba in March 2018 and the visit by President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez to Vietnam in November of the same year, she noted. The Cuban diplomat appreciated Vietnams participation in Cubas strategic development programmes, particularly the national food security programme as well as the support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people in the struggle of Cuban people against the US embargo. The Cuban Deputy FM also highlighted the three-year contribution of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Cubas achievements. At the ceremony, Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla presented the Friendship Medal to Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh. The Vietnamese diplomat said that the special friendship between the two countries is an invaluable asset for future generations while affirming that Vietnam has and will always stand side by side and support the revolutionary cause of the Cuban people. Trump Announces New Campaign Manager Bill Stepien, Replacing Brad Parscale President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday that he has appointed Bill Stepien as his campaign manager, replacing Brad Parscale. who will remain as a senior advisor in the campaign. Stepien previously worked for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), and also had served as manager for Christies gubernatorial campaigns in 2009 and in 2013. He also worked for other New Jersey Republican politicians prior becoming involved with Christies campaign. He was fired in 2014 after Christie said he lost confidence in Stepiens judgment. Stepien served as a senior political adviser and a national field director for Trumps 2016 campaign, and later served as a White House political director in the Trump administration. He was the deputy campaign manager prior to now taking on the campaign manager role. In a statement, Trump said that Parscale would be a senior adviser to the campaign. I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager. Brad Parscale, who has been with me for a very long time and has led our tremendous digital and data strategies, will remain in that role, while being a Senior Advisor to the campaign, Trump said. Trump said that both Parscale and Stepien were heavily involved in bringing victory to the 2016 presidential elections and expressed hope to win once again in 2020. This one should be a lot easier as our poll numbers are rising fast, the economy is getting better, vaccines and therapeutics will soon be on the way, and Americans want safe streets and communities! Trump said. Parscale is a close ally of Trumps son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. In June, Trump held a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that drew less-than-expected crowds, although it was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing requirements, as well as threats of violence from activists. Parscale, however, came under fire after the rallys poor showing, coming just days after he said that more than 1 million people requested tickets. The Tulsa Fire Department said later that about 6,200 people showed up for the event, although Trump campaign officials said that about 12,000 attended. Days after the rally, the Trump campaign announced changes in staffing, but Parscale remained as campaign manager at the time. Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Extinction Rebellion supporters in last year's protests were overwhelmingly middle class, highly-educated women from the south of England, a new study has found. The research shows the Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists who brought London to a standstill last year had a much broader and more diverse age profile than previous environmental direct action protests. Academics at the University of Exeter, Keele University and Aston University discovered that around 64 per cent of protesters at the April demonstration and 56 per cent of protesters at the October demonstration were women. The team interviewed 303 people and received 232 mailed questionnaires back from protesters. They also attended court hearings for 144 XR activists charged with minor public order offences. A new study has found that Extinction Rebellion supporters are most likely to be middle-class, highly educated women from the south. The study looked at the demos in London last year The climate activist group has celebrity supporters including actress Emma Thompson (pictured) and model Lily Cole who was seen visiting hunger strike protesters in December The study revealed around 85 per cent of those who took part in the action in London last year had a degree, and a third had a postgraduate qualification. HOW TO SPOT AN EXTINCTION REBELLION ACTIVIST Data shows that the average protester at last year's Extinction Rebellion demonstrations were: Female Middle-class Highly-educated Identify with the Green Party Southern - most likely from the West Country Self-employed, part-time worker or student Advertisement Two thirds identified themselves as middle-class while a high proportion were self-employed, part-time workers or students. Three-quarters of those who were charged with offences lived below the Severn-Wash line, traditionally separating the north and south of England. The research also found that XR activists were mostly non-metropolitan. A third of those who appeared in court were from the West Country with hotspots in Stroud, Totnes and Frome. This contrasted the six per cent who appeared in court and were from Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Bradford, Sheffield, Glasgow, Swansea and Cardiff combined. Professor Clare Saunders, from the University of Exeter, said: 'Our analysis shows one strength of Extinction Rebellion has been to involve people who are not natural protesters, and perhaps even less so natural law-breakers, but who were already persuaded of the rightness of the climate cause, and frustrated with the inability of both politicians and lifestyle environmentalism to bring about change. 'Mobilising this group enabled Extinction Rebellion to significantly expand the numbers of people willing to engage in environmental direct action, broadening its age profile, and bringing non-violent direct action on climate change into the centre of political life in the UK.' Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement who aim to use non-violent civil disobedience to try and compel government action to tackle climate change. In April last year, more than 1,000 activists were arrested after protesters occupied four sites across London as well as blocking roads, disrupting a railway line and conducting a protest at Heathrow. Extinction Rebellion activists glued themselves to a DLR train at Canary Wharf in April last year Extinction Rebellion protesters sprayed the treasury with 1,800 litres of fake blood in October In October, protesters used a decommissioned fire engine to spray the front of the treasury in London with 1,800 litres of fake blood, holding banners which read 'STOP FUNDING CLIMATE DEATH'. The group has received celebrity backing since their profile has grown including the likes of actress Emma Thompson and British models Lily Cole and Daisy Lowe. The study, which was published yesterday and funded by the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, revealed that XR supporters are also more likely to be new to protesting than other environmental activists, with 10 per cent of those who took part in the April 2019 protest being first-time demonstrators. British model Daisy Lowe seen at October's Extinction Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square is one of many celebs to back group The majority of protesters surveyed said they most closely identified with the Green Party at 59.1 per cent while 15.5 per cent said they backed the Labour party. Researchers say there was almost no support among Extinction Rebellion activists for the Conservative party and very little for the Liberal Democrats. Professor Brian Doherty, from Keele University, said: 'We found Extinction Rebellion activists are much more likely to vote and be members of political parties than the general population. 'But they are also sceptical about the ability of political parties and government to deliver effective solutions to environmental problems.' Dr Graeme Hayes, from Aston University, said: 'Protestors said they did not believe in reliance on companies and the market, governments, or lifestyle changes by individuals to solve the climate crisis. 'Almost all said they were protesting to raise awareness of the climate emergency, and to pressure politicians to act. 'This is a potential point of contention for Extinction Rebellion. Its strategy emphasises lobbying the government for action, but its activists do not think the government can deliver.' China accused Britain of working with the US to "discriminate, oppress and exclude" Chinese firms and warned of jeopardised relations after Huawei was banned from the UK's 5G network. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a diplomatic backlash yesterday in response to his U-turn over the Chinese tech giant, a move which Donald Trump claimed credit for. Mr Johnson ordered telecoms firms to remove Huawei equipment from the 5G network by 2027 in a move costing billions and delaying the deployment of 5G in the UK by up to three years. The ban came after a government-ordered review found the security of Huawei's equipment could not be guaranteed because of US sanctions. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned in a briefing that the ban "will only hurt the UK's own interests", adding: "This is a big world and the UK is just a small part of it. "Without any evidence the UK, under the pretext of risks which don't exist at all, co-operated with the US to discriminate, oppress and exclude Chinese companies in violation of the principle of market economy and free trade. This breaches the UK's promises," she said. "The UK has made the wrong decision that undermines severely the Chinese company's interests and the mutual trust between China and the UK. This is about China facing a major threat in its investment security in the UK and our confidence whether the UK market can maintain openness, fairness and non-discriminatory We have severe concerns on that and we remind all Chinese companies to pay attention to the increasing political and security risks." Meanwhile in London, China's ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming accused Britain of behaving like a "junior partner" of the US. He suggested ministers imposed the ban because they "had to succumb to pressure" from the "China hawks and China-bashers". Mr Johnson acted on Tuesday after coming under pressure from his own party's MPs and from Mr Trump's administration as the UK tries to broker a post-Brexit trade deal with the White House. Mr Trump spoke of having "convinced many countries", including the UK, not to use Huawei. He said: "I did this myself, for the most part", adding: "If they want to do business with us, they can't use it." UK health secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged the US sanctions played a role in the ban and said trade discussions were also an important consideration, but insisted it was "a sensible decision". "We all know Donald Trump, don't we?" he told Sky News. "All sorts of people can try to claim credit for the decision, but this was based on a technical assessment by the National Cyber Security Centre about how we can have the highest quality 5G systems in the future." Downing Street insisted it was a UK decision in response to the assessment of the sanctions from the US which were "like nothing we had ever seen before". "The US imposed the sanctions, it was then for the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) to assess the impact of those sanctions on the security of the UK's 5G network," Mr Johnson's spokesman said. The UK's government was "clear-eyed" about dealing with China but "we remain committed to a constructive relationship", he said. Huawei, which denies being a security threat, urged ministers to reconsider the move. UK telecoms firms will be banned from next year from purchasing new 5G equipment from Huawei and will have to remove all the Chinese company's kit by 2027. They are also expected to be ordered to shift away from the purchase of Huawei's equipment for full-fibre broadband networks for up to two years. In January, the firm was given permission to play a limited role in the 5G network. But Downing Street insiders acknowledged the sanctions imposed by the White House in May were a "game-changer". Meanwhile, at GCHQ, the UK's intelligence and security hub, a protective signals intelligence network is on stand-by to detect any attempt to mount cyber attacks on the UK following the decision. Lorna Jane has been forced to re-brand its new active wear after claiming the clothing 'protected against viruses and germs'. The company was forced to pull advertising for its 'exclusive' LJ Shield technology after being accused of trying to profiting from COVID-19 panic. The company is under investigation for breaching the therapeutic goods act, which could attract a maximum penalty of $11million if they are found to have done so. Lorna Jane has been forced to re-brand its new active wear after claiming the clothing 'protected against viruses and germs'(pictured: Lorna Jane active wear) Lorna Jane was forced to pull its advertising for its 'exclusive' LJ Shield technology The active wear brand has been accused of trying to profit from COVID-19 fear (Pictured: a model poses in Lorna Jane activewear) Marketing materials online suggested Lorna Jane had developed a technology that could be sprayed on to clothing to stop the spread of bacteria. The website claimed the L J Shield 'breaks through the membrane shell of any toxic diseases' including 'bacteria or germs that come into contact with it, not only killing that microbe but preventing it from multiplying into anymore'. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Dr Harry Nespolon slammed the company and accused it of intentionally misleading buyers. 'Active wear is great for the gym but it can't protect you against viruses or bacteria,' Dr Nespolon said. 'I suspect Lorna Jane are cynically trying to exploit fears concerning the COVID-19 pandemic to sell clothes.' He said it was irresponsible advice that could could lull people into a false sense of security. 'If you spray their product onto any fabric and expect that it will act as a 'shield of protection' for you by breaking through the 'membrane shell of any toxic diseases' I have some bad news for you this will not happen,' he said. Since complaints were aired over the active wear's new technology the branding has been pulled from the website and changed to remove any mention of the word virus The new materials refer to the technology instead as 'anti-bacterial' 'The only thing that will be ''terminated'' by the ''shield particles'' is the money in your bank account.' The branding has since been pulled from the website and changed to remove any mention of the word virus. The new materials refer to the technology as 'anti-bacterial'. 'We don't want to alarm you but we've been avoiding germs since way before COVID-19,' the website now reads. The active wear brand was founded by Lorna Jane Clarkson (pictured) A spokesperson for Lorna Jane denied they were trying to take advantage of the environment of fear. 'We started working on this technology at the start of the year when we named it... we didn't want to mislead anyone,' the spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. 'We are not trying to profiteer in any way on the fear around COVID-19 because we were developing this and working with our partners on this before the outbreak. 'Our testing shows that LJ Shield is an important part of stopping the spread of both bacteria and viral infections and should be used in combination with other precautionary measures such as face masks and thorough and frequent hand washing.' The Therapeutic Goods Administration is looking into the company's claims. 'With some exceptions, claims that a product can prevent infection with coronavirus, or other microorganisms that can cause illness, are therapeutic use claims and result in the product being a therapeutic good, and therefore subject to therapeutic good regulation,' the TGA told ABC news. Lorna Jane has been contacted for comment. Representational image Indian information technology (IT) major Wipro has brought home on chartered flights more than 500 employees whose visas have expired or are near expiry, from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. The first such special flight carrying over 100 employees from New York landed in Bengaluru on July 15, Wipro President and Chief Human Resources (HR) officer Saurabh Govil told The Times of India. We are also chartering flights to bring back our employees from London and Germany, Govil said, adding that the company is also working along with the Centres Vande Bharat mission for some flights. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here He added that they bring back employees every quarter, but the process had been backlogged as flights were not operational due to the COVID-19 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 Besides Wipro, other IT majors have also brought back employees facing similar concerns most from the US. Also Read | International flights on July 16: Daily updates on arrivals, departures under Vande Bharat Mission Tata Consultancy Services Global HR Head Milind Lakkad said as many as 900 employees have been repatriated close of 500 of these from the US alone. Infosys also brought back 200 employees from the US, while Tech Mahindra repatriated 210 employees via a special chartered flight from Dallas, Texas to Hyderabad which landed on July 14. But Govil denied that temporary suspension of H-1B visas is the cause. Stating: We have over 70 percent localisation in the US and do not see big disruption or an impact right now. The company will hire from campuses this year in a staggered manner. He said that last years offers have been honoured but declined to give a figure for this year, as per the report. The company in January had said it will hire 12,000 posts via campus placements in India, but the process seems shaky given the current coronavirus situation. In a fresh twist to the Kulbushan Jadhav case, Pakistan Additional Attorney General Ahmed Irfan claimed that on June 17, 2020, the retired Indian naval officer -- who Pakistan accuses of being a spy -- was given a chance to appeal against the death sentence imposed on him by a Pakistan military court. Commander Jadhav, Irfan claimed, refused to file an appeal and instead preferred to follow up on his pending mercy petition. India's ministry of external affairs dismissed Irfan's claim as a 'continuation of the farce that has been in play for the last four years'. India has repeatedly requested Pakistan to grant it unconditional access to Commander Jadhav since he was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of 'espionage and terrorism' in April 2017. Dominic Xavier offers his take on the latest Pakistani gambit in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of South African anti-apartheid leaders Nelson and Winnie Mandela, tested positive for coronavirus the day she died. Her son Zondwa Mandela today revealed his mother did have the disease - but it has not been confirmed what caused her death aged 59 in hospital in Johannesburg on Monday. Zindzi is the worlds highest profile victim of coronavirus, which has killed more than 4,400 people in South Africa alone. The Johannesburg regime is fighting a worsening coronavirus outbreak despite keeping cases down early in the global pandemic with one of the world's toughest lockdowns and quarantine regimes. Zondwa told state broadcaster SABC: 'My mother did in fact test positive for Covid-19 on the day of her passing. Zindzi Mandela (pictured in 2013), the daughter of South African anti-apartheid leaders Nelson and Winnie Mandela, tested positive for coronavirus the day she die. She is pictured during the Global Citizen Festival in 2018 Anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela escorts his daughter Zindzi Mandela on her wedding day Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meets Zindzi Mandela (right) at the film premiere of 'Mandela: long walk to freedom' in London on 5 December, 2013 The fourth of Mandela's children to die Only two of Nelson's children, Zemani and Pumla Mandela, are still alive. Makaziwe, his first child, died in 1948, aged just 18-months-old. On the same day as his sister, in 1969, Nelson's eldest son, Madiba Thembekile Mandela, died in a car crash. In 2005, Nelson's son Makgatho died of AIDS, leading to the president announcing the need for publicity around the disease. 'Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness like, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died because of HIV/AIDS, and people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary.' Advertisement 'Although, this doesn't therefore mean that she died of Covid-related complications, but simply that she tested positive for it. He added: 'Simply by the virtue that there was a positive test, we are therefore obligated to function and work within the framework of the existing regulation related to such cases.' Zindzi Mandela, South Africa's ambassador to Denmark, died on Monday morning in hospital. Zindzi rose to international prominence when she read out Nelson Mandela's rejection of then-president P.W. Botha's offer for freedom in 1985. The white minority government offered to release Nelson Mandela from prison if he denounced violence perpetrated by his movement, the Africa National Congress, against apartheid. She read his letter rejecting the offer at a packed public meeting which was broadcast around the world. South Africa has the most confirmed cases in Africa with over 224,000. Gauteng province - home to Johannesburg where Zindzi died - has the country's most cases with over 75,000, or 33 per cent. Provincial official Bandile Masuku, a medical doctor, last week told reporters that Gauteng is preparing over 1.5 million graves. 'It's a reality that we need to deal with,' he said, and it's the public's responsibility 'to make sure that we don't get there.' But the province in a statement Thursday sought to calm fears, saying it 'does not have over a million already open dug graves' and clarified that the official was saying the province has enough space for that many. It also said six members of Gauteng's Covid-19 War Room have tested positive for the virus. The number of cases in the country is continuing to rise with 12,757 reported on Wednesday alone. Its death toll is fluctuating with 174 deaths reported on Tuesday and 107 reported on Wednesday. However, the total number of deaths is on an upwards curve. Modeling has shown that South Africa will have between 40,000 and 80,000 deaths by the end of the year. Speaking of Zindzi's death, ANC spokesman Pule Mabe said: 'This is untimely. She still had a role to play in the transformation of our own society and a bigger role to play even in the African National Congress.' The Mandela Foundation posted earlier that on this day in 1969, Nelson's eldest son, Madiba Thembekile - Zindzi's half brother - died in a three-car collision, which left another four people dead. Zindzi's other half-brother, attorney Makgatho Mandela, died of AIDS in 2005. His death led to an impassioned statement from then President Mandela, who called on the public to 'give publicity to AIDS' and to 'not hide it'. Another of her siblings died in 1948 at just 18-months old. Last year Zindzi stirred controversy by calling for the return of the white-owned land to South Africa's dispossessed Black majority. 'Dear Apartheid Apologists, your time is over. You will not rule again. We do not fear you. Finally the land is ours,' she tweeted in June last year. President Cyril Ramaphosa led the tributes to Zindzion Monday. 'Zindzi Mandela was a household name nationally and internationally, who during our years of struggle, brought home the inhumanity of the apartheid system and the unshakeable resolve of our fight for freedom,' he said. 'After our liberation, she became an icon of the task we began of transforming our society and stepping into spaces and opportunities that had been denied to generations of South Africans. 'Her spirit joins Tata Madiba and Mama Winnie in a reunion of leaders to whom we owe our freedom.' South Africa's foreign affairs minister Naledi Pandor has expressed shock at Mandela's death, describing her as a heroine. Only two of Nelson's children, Zemani and Pumla Mandela, are still alive. Madiba Thembekile (right) died on this day in 1969 and Zindzi's other sibling Makgatho Mandela (left) died of AIDS in Johannesburg in 2005. Another of Mandela's children died as an infant Zindzi Mandela (pictured in 2013), the daughter of South African anti-apartheid leaders Nelson and Winnie Mandela, tested positive for coronavirus the day she died 'Zindzi will not only be remembered as a daughter of our struggle heroes, Tata Nelson and Mama Winnie Mandela, but as a struggle heroine in her own right. She served South Africa well,' said Pandor. Zindzi was born in the midst of the anti-apartheid struggle, the same year that her father's African National Congress created its armed wing. Zindzi, her mother, and her sister Zenani, faced harassment by the ruling National Part while her father was imprisoned on Robben Island, the BBC reported. In a 1995 interview with Thandy magazine, Zindzi said: 'I am something of a rebel.' 'I never knew a normal life,' she added. Zindzi Mandela reads the refusal of her father, Nelson Mandela to leave prison after South African President P.W. Botha offered him conditional release on Feb. 10, 1985 in Johannesburg, South Africa Nelson Mandela with daughter Zinzi Mandela Hlongwane (back) at his birthday party in Johannesburg, 1995 'The day I buried the father of my child, my own father was released from prison' Only two of Nelson's children, Zemani and Pumla, are still alive. Nelson Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. The Nelson Mandela Foundation is currently consulting with the Mandela family. The Danish Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the MailOnline. Zindzi is survived by her husband and four children. Who was Zindzi Mandela? Zindzi Mandela was born in 1960, just a year-and-a-half before her father was first incarcerated for anti-government activities. Her early life was marred with the constant imprisonment of her father and occasional removal of her mother for months-long prison sentences. Care for the young Zindzi often fell to her older sister Zenani in these early years. When Zindzi was 17 years old she moved with her mother who had been banished to Free State. In 1985, Nelson was offered a release from prison by President PW Botha, on the condition that he 'unconditionally rejected violence as a political weapon'. With both Winnie and Nelson in prison, Zindzi delivered his rejection of the offer at a public meeting. The letter read: 'What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people [ANC] remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.' In her personal life, Zindzi was married twice, first to businessman Zwelibanzi Hlongwane, whom she married in 1980. Her second marriage, in March 2013, was to Molapo Motlhajwa, of the African National Defence Force. She also had four children, who she noted were from four different fathers: Zoleka Mandela, (1980), Zondwa Mandela (1985), Bambatha Mandela (1989) and Zwelabo Mandela (1992). Zachary Flowers, a government and civics teacher at the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts, has been chosen to participate in the Harvard Case Method Workshop. This two-and-a-half day professional development project will take place at the Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 16 through 18, 2020. The project will be led by award-winning Harvard Business School professor David Moss. Dr. Moss compares student immersion in case after case studies to batting practice that helps train judgment. Mr. Flowers was nominated by The League of Women Voters of Chattanooga in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Greenwich, Connecticut and the Harvard Case Method Institute for Education and Democracy in Cambridge, Ma., because of his teaching accomplishments in the area of government and civics. The Case Method Project, which will now be an online virtual experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is intended to help teachers improve their method of teaching government and civics to their students. It is an interactive teaching tool meant to deepen students understanding of American democracy and goes beyond historical skills and factual content. Through an objective understanding of events, emphasizing content, chronology and comprehensiveness, it aims to hone decision-making skills. Rather than merely knowing which decisions historical figures made, the program engages and inspires students to understand why. Mr. Flowers, who has been teaching at Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts for three years, oversees senior projects in addition to teaching Government and Civics, Economics, and Personal Finance. He was chosen for this project after submitting an essay to Chattanoogas League of Women Voters and says he believes history is about telling a story. I believe wholeheartedly that the Harvard Case Method will provide all of my students with the tools to learn the history of their nation, wrestle with the conflicts that existed, and defend their ideas about the past while shaping their opinions and beliefs for the future. Legislators and educators have been trying to revive Civics which has been in decline in schools for decades. From the Constitutional Convention to Civil Rights and beyond, 22 case studies in this project explore key decision points in the history of American democracy to lead to an objective understanding of events. Government and civics classes have a reputation for being dry. This means that too many students forget what theyve been taught. Two-thirds of Americans could not name all three branches of government, according to an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey published in 2015. Only a third could name a single Supreme Court justice. Lee Ann Mills, a former high school principal and member of the local league says, Civics education empowers us to be well-informed, active citizens and gives us the opportunity to change the world around us. Its important to understand public issues as a voter so you feel youre a full participant in the political process. Schools eager to avoid controversy have sanitized their curriculums. Since then, courses on government have remained common, but most offer little more than rote study of the structures of government. Mr. Flowers will be asked to certify that he is willing and able to teach the cases in a non-partisan way. Mr. Flowers said, it isnt a matter of right versus wrong every time, but is it more about a differing view on those experiences. To heal such a divide requires equipping citizens with the ability to engage those with differing opinions through a productive and respectful discussion. He believes that the Harvard Case Method will provide his seniors with the ability to do just that, and in turn, enter their post-high school lives with the skills to unite the country, or at least, make an impact on the communities they live in. Teaching Civics with this method offers students real-world situations and allows them to parse out important aspects of a given dilemma. They learn to think fast on their feet with limited information which sharpens their analytical skills and empowers them to make critical decisions in real time. They begin to understand how different people use the same information to arrive at diverse conclusions. Teachers chosen for this initiative agree to teach at least four of the democracy cases in their classrooms after the workshop, and are asked to lead a community discussion with their local league. Mr. Flowers has agreed to lead a discussion hosted by the Chattanooga League of Women Voters. Two 19-year-old Grand Blanc women were injured after they fell down the side of a snowy slope at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The incident began around 7:30 p.m. July 11 when the Teton Interagency Dispatch received an emergency call for an injured hiker whod fallen approximately 500 feet down steep snow on the east slopes of Paintbrush Divide. Samantha Edgcombe and Mackenzie Finton were hiking from Cascade Canyon to Paintbrush Canyon over Paintbrush Divide when they each slipped on snow and slid, crashing into large rocks, per a Grand Teton National Park news release. It was first believed only one of the hikers was significantly injured, but both women were found at the scene. The Teton Interagency Helicopter transported two rangers to the area and each hiker was short-hauled with a ranger to the Lupine Meadows Trailhead and then transported via park ambulance to St. Johns Health Care in Jackson. Short-haul is a rescue technique in which an individual is suspended below the helicopter on a 150 to 200-foot rope that allows a rescuer more direct access to an injured party where conditions make it difficult to land a helicopter in steep and rock terrain. The conditions of both women were not immediately available. More on MLive: Missing Grand Blanc Township man found safe in Ohio Former Gov. Snyder denied qualified immunity in lawsuits for second time Candidates face off in primary election for 48th District House seat Supreme Court Keeps Florida Law Requiring Felons to Pay Fees Before Voting The Supreme Court on Thursday kept in place a Florida law that requires felons to pay fees before they vote. This Courts order prevents thousands of otherwise eligible voters from participating in Floridas primary election simply because they are poor, Justice Sonya Sotomayor wrote (pdf). Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan dissented with the majoritys opinion. She described the mandate as a voter paywall, while adding that the Supreme Courts inaction continues a trend of condoning disfranchisement. The move will prevent some voters from registering in Floridas August primary and possibly in the November election. Lawyers for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had argued that Florida would be irreparably harmed if a patently erroneous injunction is reinstated, enabling hundreds of thousands of ineligible voters to take part in the upcoming elections, one of which is only a month away, according to TampaBay.com. The case involved a 2018 initiative where voters ended the permanent disenfranchisement of felons who have completed their sentences. Many other states have similar measures. Up until that year, convicted felons were not allowed to vote in Florida at all. DeSantis then signed a bill, which included the provision that formerly incarcerated people must also pay their legal financial obligations such as restitution to victims, court fees, and fines. The Republican-controlled legislature enacted the provision that included the payment of restitution, fees, costs, and fines. Access to Floridas ballot box has been at the center of myriad legal disputes, underscoring the important role the state plays in determining the balance of power not only in Florida but also in Washington. With thin margins often deciding key races, the outcome of the legal battle could have deep ramifications because the states estimated 774,000 disenfranchised felons represent a significant bloc, according to an analysis from The Associated Press. Many of the states felons are black and presumably Democrats. The left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center, along with other organizations representing felons, asked Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas earlier in the month to set aside the stay. With impending registration deadlines and a primary to be held next month, the urgency is ratcheted up, said Nancy Abudu, the deputy legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to The Associated Press. We are asking the Supreme Court to maintain the district courts order which set clear, direct guidelines for the state and counties to follow after months of delay on the states part, so that all eligible Floridians can cast a ballot in the 2020 elections. Judge Robert L. Hinkle, of the Federal District Court in Tallahassee, had issued a preliminary injunction before a three-judge panel at the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit echoed his ruling. The State of Florida has adopted a system under which nearly a million otherwise-eligible citizens will be allowed to vote only if they pay an amount of money, Hinkle wrote. Most of the citizens lack the financial resources to make the required payment. Many do not know, and some will not be able to find out, how much they must pay. He argued that it is a pay-to-vote system. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 18:40:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's COVID-19 cases rose to 267,061 on Thursday after 2,500 new infections were registered over the past 24 hours, state TV reported. The total fatalities over the novel coronavirus in Iran hit 13,608 after 198 more deaths were added overnight, Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said during her daily update. So far, 230,608 patients have recovered and 3,471 remain in critical condition, said Lari. A total of 2,073,791 lab tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Iran as of Thursday, she noted, adding that 25 Iranian provinces are in high-risk or alert condition over the disease. Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. Iran and China have offered mutual help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks to China. In return, China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Enditem On March 24, 2020 an 84-year-old resident of Ina Grafton Gage home in St. Catharines became Niagaras first COVID-19 causality. Since then, at least 388 more Niagara residents who contracted the novel coronavirus have died. The Standard is publishing this page of remembrance because these people are not statistics. They were fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. There are 389 grieving families in Niagara and their loss is the communitys loss. This page will be updated periodically. If you have lost someone to COVID-19 and would like them to be included here, please contact reporter Grant LaFleche at grant.lafleche@niagaradailies.com Rose-Bobyk-Semby Age: 88 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April 9, 2020 Bobyk-Semby was a founding member of the St. Marys Ukrainian Catholic Church and Parish Hall in Niagara Falls and president of the churchs womens league. She was a resident of Lundy Manor retirement home in Niagara Falls. Charles Hudson Age: 92 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April 11, 2020 For 30 years Hudson owned and operated Charles Hudson Aluminum in Niagara Falls. Along with is late wife Lucinda, Muskoka Glens Campground from the mid-1970s to 1996, returning to Niagara Falls to retire. He was a resident of Lundy Manor retirement home in Niagara Falls. Edward Schanck Age: 87 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April, 8 2020. Edward Schanck was a Niagara Falls resident who retired to Lundy Manor to spend his twilight years with his wife, Barbara. He was a career firefighter who served the City of York for 35 years, retiring as a platoon chief. Barbara Schanck Age: 83 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April 10, 2020 Barbara Schanck was a long-time night school secretary for the Etobicoke Board of Education, after working at Roselawn Dairy in Richmond Hill. She retired to Lundy Manor with her husband Edward Schanck after they sold their home in Niagara Falls. Wilma Morrison Age: 91 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April 23, 2020 Wilma Morrison was a local activist and advocate for Black history in Niagara. She won several awards for her work including the Lieutenant-Governors Ontario Heritage Award, the Niagara Falls Arts & Culture Wall of Fame, and the Hamilton Black History Committee Award of Merit. She was also awarded an honorary degree from Brock University. She was a resident of Lundy Manor. Jennifer Ann Langelaan Age: 55 Residence: St. Catharines Died: March 29, 2020 Jennifer Ann Langelaan, a mother of three, worked at the Niagara Falls trucking firm of G. Zavitz Ltd., but later started a home daycare business. A common sight in local hockey rinks, soccer fields and bowling leagues, Langelaan remained a friend to many of the people who were once in her daycare. In the last few years, she returned to trucking to support her family and help her children through high school and university. Marilyn Burns Age: 90 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April 25, 2020 Marilyn was mother of 4, grandmother of 11 and great grandmother of 5. Born and raised in Ottawa, Niagara Falls became home when she married Robert Burns in 1952. She was an active volunteer in Niagara Falls in her younger years. Marilyn was a resident of Lundy Manor. Pat Kelly Age: 85 Residence: Niagara Falls Died: April 5, 2020 Pat was one of Canada's most successful boxing coaches, trianing Olympian Mike Stranger, and professional title contender Billy Irwin. He was also the founder of the Shamrock Boxing Club Eileen Lindey Age: 87 Residence: Welland Died: April 9, 2020 Elieen was lifelong resident of Crowland/Welland. Her career was to be a stay at home mom raising 5 children. She was a resident of Royal Rose Place at the time of her passing. Margaret Upper Age: 80 Residence: St Catharines Died: December 26, 2020 Margaret was a long time member of the St. Catharines YMCA. She loved Port Dalhousie, Kentucky horse races, and her favourite place, (where she went numerous times), Disney World! Margaret leaves behind her husband, Lou, her kids, Dave (Mairi) and Shannon, 5 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Semso Ligata Age: 77 Residence: St. Catharines Died: Jan 1, 2020 George Niles Age: 92 Residence: St. Catharines Died: Jan 22, 2021 A residents of Tabor Manor in St. Catharines, George was a retired General Motors worker, hunter, poker player, country music fan and cancer survivor. He was a "tough cookie." Bruce O'Grady Age: 66 Residence: Welland Died: March 18, 2021 Bruce was a junior A and junior B hockey coach. He played hockey professionally and made it as far as the Montreal Canadiens training camp in 1976. San Antonio's recent string of daily triple-digit temperatures may have you longing for a trip to the nearest beach to beat the heat. While beaches are allowed to remain open even as COVID-19 cases in Texas surge, some have restrictions and advisories you should be aware of before making the trip. RELATED: 'Coastal distancing': Corpus Christi official asks San Antonians to stay away from beaches On Wednesday, Corpus Christi officials announced that vehicular access at its beaches, including Port Aransas, will be prohibited from July 16 to Aug. 1 due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in Nueces County. The Texas coastal city has made national headlines in recent days for its sharp increase in positive cases. At Padre Island National Seashore, for example, overnight camping is not allowed in all areas of the beach and its visitor's center is closed. Scroll below for the restrictions and advisories at some South Texas beaches. Advertisement She's been proudly showing off her figure in an array of bikinis. And Billie Faiers was proudly displaying her incredible figure in a funky floral bikini as she headed to the beach during her sunny break to Ibiza. The Mummy Diaries star, 30, looked incredible as she headed to the ocean for a swim with husband Greg Shepherd after travelling to the Spanish Island to shoot content for fashion brand In The Style. Jaw-dropping: Billie Faiers, 30, was proudly displaying her incredible figure in a pink floral bikini as she headed to the beach during her sunny break to Ibiza Billie displayed her amazing physique in the funky pink bikini with a geometric print in shades of blue and purple as she slowly stepped into the ocean for a swim, before covering up in a matching sarong. The mother-of-tow highlighted every inch of her toned figure, with her blonde hair swept back into a low bun, and her eyes protected behind round-framed sunglasses. Billie certainly seemed to be enjoying her brief trip to Ibiza as she relaxed by the beach with husband Greg, who ever the attentive spouse helped her in and out of the water. Amazing: The Mummy Diaries star flaunted every inch of her physique in the funky multicoloured bikini and matching sarong (right) as she enjoyed some time in the beautiful sunshine Mr and Mrs: Billie was joined by her husband Greg Shepherd as they enjoyed a dip in the ocean together during their Spanish break Topping up her tan: After her swim Billie and Greg relaxed on their sunbeds, enjoying some much-needed downtime after days working on the new In The Style collection Confident: After her swim Billie donned her pretty matching sarong to head back to her sunbed, before ditching it so she could top up her tan (right) Cooling down: The mother-of-two enjoying the beautiful ocean waters with her husband Greg, after spending weeks at home in lockdown Billie has no doubt been glad for the welcome distraction of a work trip as she anxiously awaits a planning permission verdict. Billie and Greg have submitted new plans for the renovation for their dream home - a 1.4 million mansion in Brentwood, Essex. The couple recently purchased the run down 1920s property and had dreamed of turning it into a five-bedroom luxury home over a planned year and a half long project. Amazing: Billie has joined stars including Charlotte Crosby, Jacqueline Jossa and Molly-Mae Hague in Ibiza to shoot new content for the fashion brand In The Style Dramatic: Billie has no doubt been glad for the welcome distraction of a work trip as she anxiously awaits a planning permission verdict On hold: Billie and Greg have submitted new plans for the renovation for their dream home - a 1.4 million mansion in Brentwood, Essex Big changes: The couple recently purchased the run down 1920s property and had dreamed of turning it into a five-bedroom luxury home over a planned year and a half long project But after they were refused planning permission last month, the couple have drawn up new plans for a slightly smaller house. According to The Sun, the design and access statement states that the new home's extension height will be reduced by just 500mm. The Mummy Diaries stars have also made adjustments to the design so the property is not quite as close to their neighbours. The report states: 'The planning officer confirmed that these now overcome the reasons for refusal on the original application. They therefore recommended that a revised application be submitted.' New property: But after they were refused planning permission last month, the couple have drawn up new plans for a slightly smaller house Distance: They have also made adjustments to the design so the property is not quite as close to their neighbours, with the new home's extension height will be reduced by just 500mm The former TOWIE star suffered a blow last month after planning officials refused their application to covert their new property into their dream home. Brentwood Borough Council rejected their plans, calling them 'too grand'. The council officer's report states: 'it would be the biggest house on the street and the increase in size from the original home would not be acceptable.' Plans: Former TOWIE star star Billie, previously admitted that the interior of the sprawling house is 'old and dated' and estimated that it will take the pair around a year to completely renovate it House drama: It's been claimed the previous owners were granted permission to build two houses on the land, yet still, the plans for one large home have been turned down The reports also had concerns about whether the home would be sympathetic to the local area. The decision notice states: 'The proposed extensions when combined would create a development which is excessive in terms of bulk, size, massing, roof design and siting, resulting in overly dominant additions to the existing dwelling and a substantial building out of character and appearance within its context. 'It would unacceptably reduce the spatial quality between properties which is characteristic of the area, to the detriment of local visual amenity.' Reports: The neighbours had expressed concern that the property would be too close to theirs and affect their privacy. Yet the report did not find this to be a concern Happy: Billie and Greg tied the knot last year in a lavish ceremony in The Maldives, and they have two children, Nelly, six, and Arthur, three Trip away: They have been openly documenting their sunny Ibiza getaway on social media, and the star has flaunted her array of holiday swimwear Plans: Ahead of her trip to Ibiza, Billie was also spotted heading to auditions for Dancing On Ice 2021, along with stars such as Denise Van Outen and Love Island's Luke Trotman It's been claimed the previous owners were granted permission to build two houses on the land, yet still, the plans for one large home have been turned down. The neighbours had expressed concern that the property would be too close to theirs and affect their privacy. Yet the report did not find this to be a concern. The Sun writes the report concludes: 'Taking all matters into the planning balance the proposal cumulatively results in significant harm to the appearance and character of the area, and cannot be mitigated by the imposition of planning conditions; the proposal therefore conflicts with policy CP1 and is recommended for refusal'. Former TOWIE star Billie, previously admitted that the interior of the sprawling house is 'old and dated' and estimated that it will take the pair around a year to completely renovate it. Billie and Greg tied the knot last year in a lavish ceremony in The Maldives, and they have two children, Nelly, six, and Arthur, three. Minister of Health Paulette Lenert gave a short phone interview to our colleagues at RTL Radio following a massive spike in infections within the last 24 hours. 163 new infections were recorded within last 24 hours. The government and health officials will debate potential new measures. A state council meeting will likely take place on Sunday. The percentage of positive tests was slightly over 1%. In other countries this percentage lies at around 5%, Lenert said. The main source of new infections remain private gatherings, Lenert explained. Extensive testing and contact tracing remain the key tool to break infection chains, she reiterated. Paulette Lenert confirmed that Luxembourg is facing a second wave of infections. The new numbers in detail here. Wednesdays Twitter hack kept getting stranger and stranger. First, a set of high-profile accountsbelonging to the likes of Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Kanye West, and Elon Musktweeted out a fraudulent cryptocurrency donation link. My first thought was: If I were Bill Gates, I think Id be using two-factor authentication for Twitter. (Thats when you have to use a second step in addition to your password to log inlike using an authentication app.) Advertisement Then, Twitter temporarily blocked all of its verified users from posting in an effort to prevent any further scams, and announced to users Wednesday evening, You may be unable to Tweet or reset your password while we review and address this incident. These steps were a strong sign that this was not an isolated set of accounts that had been compromised due to weak passwords or poor security but instead something much bigger and companywide. Indeed, Joseph Cox at Motherboard reported that the hackers had been given access to an internal Twitter user administration tool by an employee, which allowed them to, among other things, reset the email addresses associated with users accounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the people whom Cox spoke with claimed they had paid a Twitter employee for access to the tool, and Twitter confirmed to Motherboard that an employee had been involved but said it was still investigating how exactly it happened. Advertisement Advertisement Its also possible that the attackers gained access to the tool by stealing an employees credentials, perhaps via social engineering or phishing of some sort. That would align with something Twitter tweeted out on Wednesday night: We detected what we believe to be a coordinated social engineering attack by people who successfully targeted some of our employees with access to internal systems and tools. We know they used this access to take control of many highly-visible (including verified) accounts and Tweet on their behalf. Were looking into what other malicious activity they may have conducted or information they may have accessed and will share more here as we have it. One or more employees could have been tricked into sharing their credentials or, alternatively, into resetting accounts by claiming to be requesting those changes on behalf of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and others. The former seems more probable in this case, however, both because of the publicly distributed screenshots of the internal Twitter tool and because of the scale of the compromise. Advertisement Advertisement If this incident was, in fact, the result of social engineering, thats actually good newsit means that Twitter can protect against future such compromises by locking down the authentication mechanisms for its internal platform or instituting stricter policies for how carefully employees have to verify the identities of people requesting account changes. If, instead, as the hackers told Motherboard, they paid a Twitter employee to give them access, thats much harderthough not impossiblefor the company to try to guard against. Advertisement Advertisement It should come as no surprise to anyone that there is an internal tool at Twitter where employees are able to make changes to user accounts. Twitter has to be able to do those things, in some capacity, for its customersotherwise it wouldnt be able to help users who had forgotten their passwords or lost access to old email accounts or experienced any other account-related mishaps. As former Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos pointed out in the wake of the breach, its impossible to describe the chaos inherent in dealing with the account lifecycle issues of the general public. The breadth of ways people lock themselves out of services that are critical to their lives is breathtaking, and we cant just ignore those folks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that doesnt mean it should be quite this easy for someone to get access to a single company interface and change a whole bunch of accounts before anyone noticed. To its credit, Twitter has already announced that it has taken significant steps to limit access to internal systems and tools. At the very least, changes to things like the email addresses associated with accounts should trigger notifications to the original email addresses, and changes to high-profile accounts associated with real people should require some fairly rigorous verification of those peoples identities and perhaps also confirmation by more than one Twitter employee. Similarly, an employee changing an abnormally large number of user accounts in a short period of time might trigger some alerts to Twitter higher-ups. Advertisement Its not clear how much those measures would have helped if what happened in this scenario was that the perpetrators didnt just gain access to the internal Twitter tool by stealing an employees credentials but instead, potentially, by directly bribing an employee. No matter how many controls are in place, if its possible to buy off employees with the needed access to manipulate accounts, then theres only so much Twitter can do by way of technical protections. After all, someone at Twitter has to be able to reset Bill Gates account. But at least if two employees had to sign off on those changes, then it wouldnt be enough for an intruder to bribe only one of them. Beyond doing things like that and restricting how many employees have access to these types of tools, insider threats are awfully hard to protect against. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So many questions remain to be answered about this breach. If there was a bribe, how could the Twitter employee ever imagine getting away with this? What other kinds of information did the intruders have access to through this tool? For instance, could they read users direct messages? Who was behind the compromise? Will there be any follow-up crimes (such as trying to extort the owners of compromised accounts based on stolen private information from their Twitter accounts)? For all of us, its a reminder that even the accounts we dont think of as being high-valuesay, because they dont store any credit card informationcan be used against us in surprising ways. I might have said, prior to this, that the worst thing anyone could do if they got access to my Twitter account was publish a lot of offensive tweets, that there was no obvious way for them to make money and therefore no reason anyone would bother. But clearly that was because I had a very limited threat model for the service in my head. (Aaron Mak details how the hack could have been much worse than it seems to have been.) Ideally, this incident would serve to expand all of our ideas about how Twitter and other social media platforms can be misused and lead to those companies making some changes that make it just a little bit harder for those exploits to be acted on. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The suspect is accused of punching an elderly man before stealing his vehicle (Houston Police Department) Suspect Attacks 83-Year-Old Man, Runs Him Over With Own Car: Police Officials in Houston are searching for a suspect who allegedly ran over an 83-year-old man after punching him at a gas station. The suspect, who is black, also ran the victim over with his own vehicle at a Valero station in West Houston in late June, the Houston Police Department said on Thursday. The victim walked out of the store after making a purchase and then started his vehicle before going outside to smoke a cigarette, said the police department in a news release. The suspect then approached him and suddenly punched him in the face, which was not captured on surveillance footage. That caused the victim to fall to the ground, according to police. The suspect then got into the elderly mans vehicle. Suspect runs over 83 year old male after punching him in the face during a robbery at a West Houston gas station on June 28th at 4:00 pm. The male then returns later that day and is captured on camera inside the store. Call @CrimeStopHOU w/info. See story>https://t.co/1i0AKbYLYy pic.twitter.com/UMKUC68vEm Houston Police Robbery (@hpdrobbery) July 16, 2020 The victim stood in front of his Toyota Camry in an attempt to not allow the suspect to drive away, the police news release said. The suspect then drove forward, running over the victim, and then reversed the vehicle to where he was able to flee the scene. The suspect is a black male, 20 to 30 years old, 60 to 62, and 180 pounds to 200 pounds, officials said. The suspect was seen returning to the store later in the day while wearing a red bandanna, black shirt, and black pants. The victims vehicle was found abandoned several days later on July 1. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 23:27:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan said on Thursday that 221,279 nationals had been repatriated who were stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Pakistan started repatriation of its nationals in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "As of July 14, 2020, 221,279 Pakistani citizens have been repatriated from different parts of the world," spokesperson of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aisha Farooqui said. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our missions abroad continue to facilitate and assist our fellow compatriots all across the world," Farooqui said at her weekly press briefing. The foreign ministry said earlier that a special cell, namely the Crisis Management Unit, is working at the foreign ministry around the clock with a dedicated team to monitor the phased repatriation of Pakistanis across the globe. Enditem Executive Management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has received a petition from a health worker of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) accusing the Sawla-Tuna- Kalba District National Health Insurance (NHIS) Manager, Mr. Mahama Sakara of an attempted sexual assault. In her petition, the Nurse in the Savannah Region alleged that Mr. Sakara visited her duty post on July 8, 2020 at about 9:00am under the guise of Monitoring and sexually assaulted her. We wish to assure the general public and all stakeholders that the Authority has already taken action with regards to the petition. The District Manager has been issued a query and his response has been received. There is also an on-going investigation by the Police service and further actions will be taken as the facts of the case unfold. In the meantime, the District Manager has been asked to step aside. The NHIA strongly condemns all incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault and gender- based violence in our society. The code of ethics enshrined in our conditions of service abhors such behaviour. The organisation will continue to champion the cause of individuals rights and liberties to live and work without interference especially women. Source: NHIA Corporate Affairs Directorate 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 Press Release July 16, 2020 Hontiveros calls on gov't to pursue an independent and interdependent foreign policy to protect Filipino fisherfolk Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday said the government should pursue an independent foreign policy and reassert its ownership of Philippine territories, amid growing international consensus against China's excessive and unlawful territorial assertions. "Government must ensure that what is ours remains ours. The potential loss of the West Philippine Sea is tantamount to the loss of livelihood for Filipino fisherfolk who depend on these resources. Lalo na at may pandemya, dapat may seguridad ang hanapbuhay ng bawat Pilipino," Hontiveros said. The senator also highlighted that our independent foreign policy should be strengthened to end any further destruction that China has caused our seas, which has ballooned to over P200 billion worth of damage in our reef ecosystems. "Kapag sira na ang mga likas-yaman na ito, saan pa maghahanap-buhay ang ating mangingisda? Ang pambubully ng Tsina ay ikinapahamak ng 14 nating mangingisda na hanggang ngayon ay hindi parin nahahanap. Ang pambubully ng Tsina ay ikinalubog din ng mga mangingisda ng Gem-Ver, ikinawala ng kanilang hanapbuhay, at ikinautang pa nila," the senator said, citing a report stating that Gem-Ver fishermen had to spend about P2.1 million to repair their boat after they were rammed by a Chinese vessel in 2019. The current COVID-19 lockdown has also prohibited fisherfolk from going fishing. Hontiveros added that China's aggression in our territories despite the pandemic is an additional burden and threat to our fisherfolk. "Kailangan magpasya ang gobyerno na tulungan na agad ang ating mga mangingisda dahil kung hindi ay unti-unting mawawala ang kanilang kabuhayan, at mas lalong mawawalan sila ng pag-asa," she said. Hontiveros also welcomes the United States' recent pronouncement that rejected China's maritime claims around the disputed waters. "It's becoming clear that only China recognizes this so-called 'nine-dash line,' a self-serving declaration that has no legitimate basis. We must be able to work with like-minded countries, especially our allies in Southeast Asia to defend our sovereign rights, and to ensure that our fisherfolk continue to enjoy access to our own waters," she said. Hontiveros also said that while the Philippines is dealing with Beijing on the West Philippine Sea, the country could become caught in a strategic tug of war between China's Belt and Road Initiative and the U.S.'s Indo-Pacific Initiative. As such, the senator said the reinforcement of an independent foreign policy is needed to maintain a balance of power in the region. "Small countries like the Philippines are often stuck between competing interests of giants. As the US and China further their own interests, the government should not allow these superpowers to use the Philippines as a pawn in furthering their own agendas. We are our own country. Atin ang Pinas. We should have the full right and power to protect our land, seas, and people," she explained. The senator underscored that reaffirming both our independent foreign policy and the rules-based international order is the only way to resolve conflicts without the use of armed force, and crucially, the only way to ensure that our fisherfolks have access to our exclusive economic zone. "Sa huli, ang ordinaryong mamamayan ang malalagay sa panganib kung hindi maproprotektahan ang ating mga teritoryo. Hindi lang soberanya ng bansa ang mawawala, pati narin pamumuhay at dignidad ng mga Pilipino," Hontiveros concluded. As our readers know, Minnesota has suffered under the high-handed dictates of Governor Tim Walz, who implemented by executive order one of the most extreme COVID shutdowns of any state. Minnesota ground to a halt, economically, socially and academically. The effects of the shutdown were (and are) catastrophic, even though Minnesotas coronavirus problem was confined overwhelmingly to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, as Scott has tirelessly documented. The organization that I run, Center of the American Experiment, swung into action in April to oppose Walzs extreme orders, at a time when virtually no one else in the state was standing up to the governor. We created a video in which Minnesota small businesspeople told their stories: We set up a web site, Back2WorkMN.com, where people could easily sign a letter protesting against the shutdown and asking the governor to let Minnesota go back to work. Each letter went via email to Governor Walz, with copies to each signers Senator and Representative, based on zip code. We publicized Back2WorkMN.com on the radio and with billboards: We launched a major social media campaign to drive traffic to Back2WorkMN.com, with digital ads like this one: Our campaign resulted in more than 50,000 emailed letters being sent to Governor Walz and Minnesota legislators. While the battle continuesGovernor Walzs emergency powers remain in effect, with the Republican Senate voting to end them while the Democratic House refuses to let them expirethere has been considerable relaxation and most businesses have been able to resume in some fashion. The State Policy Network, the umbrella organization for state-based conservative policy groups, has now released the finalists for its award for the Best Issue Campaign of the last 12 months, and the Centers Back2WorkMN campaign is one of the three nominees. SPN selects the finalists in each category, but the winner is chosen by popular vote. SPN encourages nominated organizations to enlist their friends and supporters to vote for them. This publicizes not just the awards, but the nominated organizations and SPN itself. So: you can carry out that mandate by going here and voting for Center of the American Experiments Back2WorkMN for Best Issue Campaign. Last year we won in the category of Most Influential Research for our work debunking green energy. We hope to win again this year. So, thanks for your vote! Once again, this is the place to go. Theres no estimated end to the new restrictions imposed on Pennsylvania restaurants, bars and gatherings in response to a new wave of COVID-19 infections. While this step may feel like a move back toward the yellow phase, we need individuals to see the seriousness of the situation and to take personal action, state health department spokesman Nate Wardle said. Gov. Tom Wolf offered no estimated duration on Thursday afternoon. Were trying to shut this down in a short, focused way so that all of us can get back to work as quickly as possible, he said. If we do nothing, were going to be overwhelmed by this disease, and thats going to be a bad thing for all corners of the economy. Wolf announced the restrictions Wednesday, saying contact tracing has shown much of the surge results from younger people socializing in eating and drinking establishments while ignoring social distancing and the need for face masks. However, the health department later said, we do not currently systematically compile information such as how many cases in [Pennsylvania] originated from bars, restaurants or churches. Given that, Wolf was questioned Thursday on how the state can assure the public the restrictions on restaurants, bars and establishments including wineries are truly justified and focused on the right things. Wolf said he believes the state can produce the data to back up the decision. He added with what we know, thats where we saw the outbreak. Thats where people were congregating together. Thats where they were in close contact we put all the evidence together and that seems to be the source. Wolf has said the surge could interfere with reopening schools in six weeks if it isnt brought under control. State health secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the key to controlling the surge and moving toward normal is to social distance, wear masks in all public and outdoor situations where other people are within six feet, and wash hands frequently. As Wolf announced the new restrictions to news reporters, he communicated by video conference with Dr. David Rubin, who is involved with a Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia model that apparently played a role in the decision. The model looks at hotspots all over the country. Rubin described a wave of infections flowing into Pennsylvania from places including Cleveland, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Wolf also blamed much of on interstate travel, southern states that didnt react as aggressively and reopened quickly, and a lack of a coordinated national response. Wardle said state officials will be watching assorted models and data in deciding when restrictions can be lifted. He said much focus will be on 7- and 14-day averages of new cases and the rate of positive tests. As of early this week, about 4.4% of COVID-19 tests were coming back positive in Pennsylvania. But rates varied substantially by region. Among counties with large population centers, rates ranged from 7.8% in Allegheny County to about 2% in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. Levine said a rate under 5% is good, while a rate that goes above 5% is bad, especially when it approaches 10%. 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. Technavio has been monitoring the global cleansing lotion market size and it is poised to grow by USD 641.39 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 4% 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/20200715005848/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cleansing Lotion Market 2020-2024 (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. Beiersdorf AG, CHANEL Ltd., Christian Dior SE, Groupe Clarins, Johnson Johnson Services Inc., L'Oreal SA, Shiseido Co. Ltd., The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., The Procter Gamble Co., and Unilever Group 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. The increasing demand for beauty products has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Cleansing Lotion Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Cleansing Lotion Market is segmented as below: Distribution Channel Offline Online Geographic Landscape APAC Europe North America South America MEA 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=IRTNTR40708 Cleansing Lotion Market 2020-2024: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our cleansing lotion market report covers the following areas: Cleansing Lotion Market size Cleansing Lotion Market trends Cleansing Lotion Market industry analysis This study identifies the rising demand for multifunctional cleansing lotions as one of the prime reasons driving the cleansing lotion market growth during the next few years. Cleansing Lotion Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the cleansing lotion market, including some of the vendors such as Beiersdorf AG, CHANEL Ltd., Christian Dior SE, Groupe Clarins, Johnson Johnson Services Inc., L'Oreal SA, Shiseido Co. Ltd., The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., The Procter Gamble Co., and Unilever Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the cleansing lotion 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 Cleansing Lotion Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist cleansing lotion market growth during the next five years Estimation of the cleansing lotion market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the cleansing lotion market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of cleansing lotion market vendors Table Of Contents : PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT Preface Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis Value chain analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2019 Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market outlook 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 DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL Market segmentation by distribution channel Comparison by distribution channel Offline Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Online Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by distribution channel PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 11: MARKET TRENDS Multifunctional use of cleansing lotions Increasing demand for organic cleansing lotions Increasing number of M&A activities PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Beiersdorf AG CHANEL Ltd. Christian Dior SE Groupe Clarins Johnson Johnson Services Inc. L'Oreal SA Shiseido Co. Ltd. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. The Procter Gamble Co. Unilever Group 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/20200715005848/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Photo: (Photo : Photo from Facebook) The supposed big smiles of children in a hospital turned to tears of a charity founder. Fairy Bricks founder, Kevin Gascoigne, shared that he was devastated when he learned that their headquarters had been robbed last Sunday. Around 18,000 sets of Lego were stolen in the charity's warehouse at Moldgreen, Huddersfield. The charity is now calling for everyone who spots any of the stolen sets to call the police. READ ALSO: 6-year-old girl wants to save the world from plastic [by litter-picking] Break-in at the headquarters On Monday, Fairy Bricks posted on their social media accounts of the horrific sight that welcomed them at their warehouse. We are saddened to report that we have suffered a devastating robbery at Fairy HQ over the weekend. We still have asses the full extent of the stock taken. Our van has also been stolen. @WestYorksPolice are fully aware and are working to apprehend the criminals. pic.twitter.com/UwLmzrREvI Fairy Bricks (@fairybricks) July 13, 2020 According to their initial post, the charity's van was stolen along with the sets of Lego bricks. One of the photos posted show a small opening made on one of the warehouse walls. Neighbor informed Gascoigne about the incident on Monday morning. The neighbor told Gascoigne, "I came down, and that was it. I witnessed the devastation and saw what they'd taken. We've been in bits." READ ALSO: 14-year-old Colorado boy with a rare disease that turns him to stone asks for help with his treatment Call for help to bounce back Gascoigne describes the incident as a dark place in which their charity is put. However, the founder is positive that they will bounce back immediately because the kids need them. Fairy Bricks already coordinated with the West Yorkshire police. As authorities are already on the case, the charity is also calling for help from the community. On Tuesday, Fairy Bricks posted on their social media accounts the photos of the building bricks which were stolen. They called for those who might notice unusual sales of the same building bricks models in large volumes. According to the charity, they urge the public to report this to the police for proper coordination immediately. READ ALSO: Man in superhero costume keeps helping kids despite pandemic Fairy Bricks' advocacy Since 2014, the charity has been giving away building bricks to sick children in the United Kingdom. Last year, they were able to give away 50,000 Lego sets. During the coronavirus pandemic, they were able to donate more than 32,000 building bricks sets to children of NHS workers. After the incident, the charity garnered positive noise online. Gascoigne said that the positive comments they received mean more than the number of items that they lost. Even hospitals who witnessed the advocacy of Fairy Bricks take place, sent their support to the group. So sad to see this happened! Fairy Bricks help so many patients. We send lots of love and support to Kevin and his team. @Leeds_Cares @fairybricks @Leeds_Childrens @LeedsHospitals https://t.co/AAtorg5cqI Children's Day Care And CSAL (@ChildrenLounge) July 14, 2020 READ ALSO: 2 Boys raise $400 to help a food pantry during the coronavirus pandemic [they made dog treats] Crown Point Mayor David Uran said Hampton Inn will be a great addition to the city. Uran thanked Good for building the hotel in Crown Point. "I want to change the name of Jeff Good to Jeff Great," Uran said. Uran said Crown Point has offered a lot of amenities for those traveling to the city, whether it be for those going to the Sportsplex or those families wanting a place to stay while their loved ones are in nearby medical facilities. In past years, Uran has had to send visitors and travelers to hotels in other communities and now won't have to see "taillights leaving the city." "This hotel has a stake in everyone's life in a positive way," Uran said. Chareice White, the mayor's representative to the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority and a Crown Point resident, said she was pleased to see the project go forward. "We're very excited to see the first hotel being built in Crown Point making Crown Point one of the crown places to stay," White said. Guatemalan migrants Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, and Jakelin Caal, 7, died in 2018 after being detained by US border patrol. The deaths of two migrant children in the custody of the United States border patrol in 2018 could have been averted and US agencies need to do more to protect migrant childrens health, medical doctors told a congressional committee on Wednesday. Felipe Gomez Alonzo, age eight, and Jakelin Caal, age seven both from Guatemala died shortly after being detained by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the US-Mexico border. Available records make clear that Jakelin and Philippe both suffered terrifying and painful deaths that could potentially have been prevented by timely access to paediatric medical care, said Fiona Danaher, a paediatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital. Danaher appeared before the Homeland Security Committee of the House of Representatives, where Democrats are pursuing an investigation of a policy of the administration of US President Donald Trump: separating migrant children from their parents. Felipe and Jakelin were among six minors who died in US border patrol custody between September 2018 and May 2019. Friends and family gather around the coffin of Jakelin Caal, a seven-year-old girl who died after developing a high fever while in the custody of US Customs and Border Protection [File: Carlos Barria/Reuters] Caal died of septic shock which, because it went untreated over many hours, cascaded into multiple organ failure, Danaher said. Alonzo died from untreated influenza complicated by pulmonary haemorrhage in the context of bacterial pneumonia and sepsis, she said. By detaining children in crowded conditions without adequate access to medical care, the CBP is perpetuating systems that place children at risk for medical neglect, Danaher told the committee. And the emergence of COVID-19 adds new risks. The Government Accountability Office, an oversight arm of the US Congress, issued a report on Wednesday finding the CBP has not consistently deployed medical care to its stations along the southwest border and has mishandled emergency medical funds Congress provided. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector Generals report found there was no malfeasance by individual CBP officers in the deaths of Alonzo and Caal. Both deaths were preventable through early recognition and treatment, Dr Roger Mitchell Jr, the chief medical examiner for the city of Washington, DC, told the committee. Catarina Alonzo, the mother of Felipe Gomez Alonzo, an eight-year-old boy who fell ill and died in the custody of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), reacts at her home in the village of Yalambojoch, Guatemala, in December 2018 [File: Luis Echeverria/Reuters] Representative Mark Green, a Republican and also a medical doctor, in Wednesdays hearing defended the CBP from blame for the childrens deaths. The standard of care that applies in hospitals in the US is not a reasonable benchmark for triaging 160 migrants in the dark of the night in Antelope Wells, the remote New Mexico area where Caal was detained and placed on a 90-minute bus ride with her father to a border station, he said. The answer is not to turn CBP stations into Mass General, Green said. The CBP deployed an additional 300 contracted doctors and medical professionals to its border stations in response to the deaths. More than 5,400 children have been separated by US immigration authorities from their parents at the US-Mexico border under the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy, according to a 2019 estimate by the American Civil Liberties Union. The policy generated intense controversy in the US and, although Trump announced a reversal, the CBP continues to separate children from their parents, migrant advocates and lawyers for families say. Committee chairman Representative Bennie Thompson said DHS was intentionally impeding the committees investigation by refusing to produce subpoenaed documents. Thompson said the inspector generals report absolving CBP officers was incomplete and potentially misleading. The report fails to examine the many troubling questions that these deaths raise regarding CBP ability to care for children in custody, including questions about the adequacy of the agencys policies, procedures and training, Thompson said. US Border Patrol agents keep watch on a large group of migrants who they say were attempting to cross illegally in El Paso, Texas, in May 2019 [File: US Customs and Border Protection handout via Reuters] If children are to be detained in CBP facilities, it is incumbent upon the agency to strengthen its medical infrastructure, Danaher said. Given the current COVID-19 epidemic, and the impending arrival of another influenza season, time is of the essence, she said. Financing provides added fuel to accelerate company growth PORTLAND, Ore., July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Puppet, the industry standard for infrastructure automation, today announced it has secured $40 million in financing from funds managed by BlackRock. The new funding will support Puppets growth as it continues to scale operations and build out its product portfolio of infrastructure automation solutions. Puppets technology runs some of the worlds most critical businesses in the most demanding environments, from financial services to government agencies, said Yvonne Wassenaar, Puppet CEO. This new capital will allow us to accelerate our go-to-market efforts and further fuel our innovation investments -- from extending the power of Puppet Enterprise in the areas of continuous automation, compliance and patching to our newly-launched event-driven automation solution Relay, built to extend Puppets expertise into cloud-native and API-driven environments. Now, more than ever, businesses are under pressure to increase efficiency and deliver more value from IT investments, while taking advantage of new cloud-native technologies. An OReilly survey found that nearly 70 percent of organizations have either adopted or at least have begun to adopt cloud-native infrastructure. However, infrastructure management is becoming increasingly complex and IT teams are struggling to keep up with the demand created by the proliferation of tools and technologies needed for these hybrid cloud environments. Puppet connects the dots across the enterprise, enabling Global 5000 customers to contain costs, drive efficiency and ensure business continuity without turning their backs on innovation. The adoption of automation to help streamline infrastructure management is on the rise. According to Gartner, by 2023, 60% of organizations will use infrastructure automation tools as part of their DevOps toolchains, improving application deployment efficiency by 25%. Story continues "Puppet is a leader in infrastructure automation across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Covid-19 has pulled forward demand for the Companys technology, which has become more critical than ever," said John Doyle, BlackRock Director. We look forward to partnering with Puppet as they lead the industry through this next wave of growth. About Puppet Puppet makes infrastructure actionable, scalable and intelligent. From the data center to the cloud, Puppet helps enterprises modernize and manage their infrastructure to deliver innovation and efficiency through continuous automation. More than 40,000 organizations including more than 80 percent of the Global 5000 have benefited from Puppets open source and commercial solutions to ensure business continuity, optimize costs, boost compliance and ensure security - all while accelerating the adoption of DevOps practices and delivery of self-service. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Puppet is a privately held company with offices in London, Belfast, Singapore, Timisoara, and Sydney. Learn more at puppet.com. Media Contact Devin Davis VP of Corporate Marketing and Communications @ Puppet pr@puppet.com Rapper Megan Thee Stallion Says She Was Injured In Shooting Sunday Morning The Los Angeles Police Department could not immediately confirm which shooting the rapper, who was born Megan Pete, was injured in, but KCAL9 reported that an Instagram story showed Stallion at a party in the Hollywood Hills Saturday night with Kylie Jenner and rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was arrested during a shots fired investigation about 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of Nicholas Canyon Road in the Hollywood Hills West area, according to the LAPD. He was booked for having a concealed firearm in a vehicle, but it was not immediately clear if investigators believe he was responsible for the shots fired. One person was taken to a hospital with a foot injury, the LAPD said. ADVERTISEMENT On Sunday morning, I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me, Stallion said in a statement on Instagram. The police officers drove me to a hospital where I underwent surgery to remove the bullets. Im incredibly grateful to be alive and that Im expected to make a full recovery. Further information was not available from the Los Angeles Police Department. Stallion, 25, is a rapper from Texas who gained attention in recent years in part through freestyling videos shared widely on Instagram. Her song Savage went viral this year on TikTok and in May topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Vijaya, living along the famed Marina beach in Chennai, is at her wits end now. A bajji (snack) seller, her pushcart remains in disuse, and most probably will remain so in the foreseeable future, given that the citys corporation has prohibited public visits at the beach. Her sons temporary job with a private company came to an end, after the firm's funds for salaries dried up. She is now, totally and abjectly, in the mercy of states rations for food. The lives of the subaltern classes have taken a turn for the worse since the first coronavirus lockdown in March, eroding their agency to earn a living and rendering them dependent on the state for essentials, from food to medicines to emergency care. The effect of the pandemic on those living on the fringes, with no real social security, has been debilitating, say people in the unorganised economic sector. As an added layer of misery, some livelihoods have been dealt a double whammy: their chances of getting back on their feet are minimal even after the phased 'unlocking'. "We don't know when the beach will be open for public. The officials keep saying Chennai is seeing a surge in cases and ask us to not venture out. We used to get Rs 100 a day. On Sundays, we get Rs 200-300... this is how we survived so long," Vijaya says. "Now there is no income," she continues. "We only get free ration but how can we survive this way?" She says her son is currently jobless, even as the electricity bill continues to increase; coming up to Rs 4,000 in her block. "We are asked to stay indoors. All of us are staying at home and the power bill also shot up. With no income, what will we do," asks the bajji seller, who has been running a stall at the Marina beach for 30 years. With the prohibition of pushcarts on the Marina, several others have been unable to conduct their business. Another seller, Malar, shares her current challenge: "Push carts are prohibited across the city because officials say crowds gather around such carts. So where will we go and sell now? We dont know how long this situation would last as the pandemic is not yet over, she says, adding that a similar situation is faced by those who live in the locality, as most of them had stalls at Marina beach, including pani poori and bajji shops. In their own ways, people like Malar and Vijaya have managed to keep afloat, but the predicament of those living in the Sri Lankan refugee camp in Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district is worse as people have had to remain within the camp for the entirety of lockdown. Sixty-year-old Angamma has been running a temperature for three days now.The only grocery shop in the Sri Lankan refugee camp in Chennai has nothing beyond Vicks Action 500 in stock. With no Paracetamol available, and extremely limited access to the outside world, Angammal is in a precarious situation. For now, its home-made pepper rasam which comes to her rescue. Ever since the lockdown, the refugee camp is barricaded and it is difficult to step out, even for essential services such as going to a nearby hospital or pharmacy, Angamma says. "Also, the pharmacy is more than a kilometre away from the camp and public transport and autos are banned here. Senior citizens like me are also scared to step out," she says. Angamma wants a medical camp to be set up for refugees amid the pandemic. "Many people are catching cold or fever now," she says. Hundreds like Angamma hope for the government to start monthly medical check-ups for the Gummidipundi camp. However, this is not the only problem faced by the camp refugees. Most of them do not have permanent jobs. They are employed in daily-wage jobs such painting gigs, construction, among others. Ever since the onslaught of the lockdown, their livelihoods are at stake; they are unable to get jobs from contractors even after the city begins phasing into opening up. We have had no source of income since the end of March. All we get per month is Rs 1,000 from the government and free ration. This is not enough to survive a month. My son who has been working as a painter on a contract basis is still not getting jobs due to coronavirus," said Vijayalakshmi, another refugee battling the effects of lockdown. "The little income we used to get before has stopped. Our lives have come to a standstill. My son is anxiously waiting to get back to work but we dont know how long the current situation will last," she said. There are concerns that the current divide between the haves and the have-nots would expand as a result of the pandemic. While there has been severe job losses in the white-collar world too, the pandemic has delivered a a complete blow to those employed in the unorganised sector. Until businesses pick up gradually, every day will be a struggle for the working classes. Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. As Chinese companies also look beyond their borders to test the vaccine, they are running into mistrust and skepticism. Health experts have questioned why the Canadian government is allowing CanSino Biologics, which has teamed up with the Peoples Liberation Army, to run human trials in the country. Rumors have spread about the authenticity of a Chinese-made vaccine that is being tested in Brazil, as supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro cast doubt. The strategy is born out of necessity. Chinese companies cannot find enough candidates at home to conclusively determine whether their vaccines would prevent infections, a problem faced by research institutes and pharmaceutical makers in countries that have largely tamed the coronavirus. Phase 3 trials, the final stage before approval, require vaccines to be tested in roughly tens of thousands of volunteers in places with large, active outbreaks. Along with the testing at the oil company, Sinopharm, which has completed Phase 2 trials for two products, has injected the vaccine into its chairman and other senior officials, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, or SASAC, the government agency managing all employees at state-backed companies. The Chinese government has allowed the CanSino-military vaccine to be given to its armed forces, a first for the military of any country. Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist at Wuhan University, was skeptical about the decision to give vaccines to state-owned employees for business travel. It does not make much sense at all because the length of time that the employees take to travel is not the same, the locations may be different, and it is not easy to do tracking and monitoring, Dr. Yang said. It may just be a psychological comfort for employees. A PetroChina employee based overseas confirmed that his colleagues in China had been invited to take the vaccines. PetroChina, SASAC and Sinopharm did not respond to requests for comment. GROUPS OF parents and other anti-communist organizations condemned the acquittal of about 15 leaders of the Communist Party of the Philipp... 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. Representative image India has witnessed 10 percent more rainfall than normal, India Meteorological Department said on July 16. IMD also issued red alerts for coastal Maharashtra following heavy rains in Mumbai and adjoining areas. "Increased rainfall activity expected for next three-to-five days along the coastal areas," it said. "Under the influence of strong lower-level wind convergence along south Gujarat and North Konkan and east-west shear zone in mid-tropospheric levels, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall very likely over Gujarat, Konkan and Goa during next two days," IMD tweeted. Weather forecast and multi hazard warning for next 5 days based on 0830 hrs IST of 16.07.2020 pic.twitter.com/qn11NNah9I India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) July 16, 2020 Heavy rains lashed Mumbai overnight with some parts receiving extremely heavy showers. Areas like Bandra and Mahalaxmi in the city received 201 mm and 129 mm rainfall, respectively, between 8.30 am on July 15 and 6.30 am on July 16, IMD's Mumbai Deputy Director General KS Hosalikar said. Twelve people were killed in rain and flood-related incidents across the country on July 15. While seven people died in Assam floods, four, including a pregnant woman, died in a house collapse in Uttarakhand. A farmer was killed after being struck by lightning in Maharashtra. In the wake of the heavy downpour in Mumbai and coastal Maharashtra, the IMD upgraded the warning status from orange to red. Red alert has been issued for Mumbai, RK Jenamani, a scientist with the National Weather Forecasting Centre, said. Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said Delhi received only isolated light rains over the last few days as the monsoon trough had shifted towards the foothills of the Himalayas. At present, the axis of monsoon lies south of Delhi. It will start moving towards the north on July 17 and cause rains in northwest India, including Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. A fresh spell of 'light to moderate' rains is expected from July 17 to July 20 in the national capital, Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the regional forecasting centre of the IMD, said. "We expect to record around 20 mm rainfall in Delhi during this period which will reduce the deficiency to a certain extent," he said, adding the mercury is expected to dip to the lower 30s. (With PTI inputs) Own A Hyundai Kona EV? You Are Not Alone Hyundai KONA Electric achieved the 100K milestone in just over two years since its launch KONA Electrics class-leading driving range, fast-charging capability, safety and convenience features have led to sales success and industry accolades Hyundai seeks to sell 560,000 EVs annually by 2025, leveraging KONA Electrics global success SEOUL, July 16, 2020 KONA Electric, Hyundai Motor Companys globally loved full electric compact SUV, has surpassed the 100,000 global sales milestone. Cumulative sales of KONA Electric reached 103,719 units as of June 30just over two years since its launch in March 2018. Sales outside of its home market Korea accounted for more than three quarters of the total. KONA Electric has been widely lauded for its class-leading driving range, fast-charging capability, safety and convenience features. In April 2020, the inaugural TopGear Electric Awards named the model the Best Small Family Car, based on its performance during a 24-hour, 1,600-km European road trip. The same year, U.S. News & World Report named it the Best Electric Vehicle. In 2019, WardsAuto included KONA Electric on its 10 best engines list. In 2018, Auto Express named it the Affordable Electric Car of the Year. The EV also played a role in the KONA nameplate winning Spanish newspaper ABCs Best Car of the Year award. It also won the 2019 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. Building on KONA Electrics successful legacy, Hyundai Motor Company is focused on making zero-emissions mobility a reality, making it a significant part of its long-term strategy. By 2025, the company aims to sell 560,000 battery electric vehicles in addition to FCEV models. About KONA Electric Compact electric SUV segment-leading 250-mile estimated range Bold, fresh design elements with extroverted color options Signature LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights High-efficiency 201 horsepower (150 kW), 291 lb.-ft. electric motor powertrain High-voltage 64 kWh lithium-ion battery Standard floating touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto capability Hyundai Smart Sense (HSS): Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection Driver Attention Warning Lane Keeping Assist Blind-Spot Collision Warning Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist High Beam Assist Premium technology availability: 8-inch navigation system Shift-by-wire center console drive controls with additional lower storage Next-generation Blue Link connected car system Heads-up display (with active pop-up display screen) Rain-sensing wipers Qi wireless-device charging Editors note: The vehicle specifications and features in this press release are for the US market and may vary depending on country/region. ### About Hyundai Motor Company Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company offers a range of world-class vehicles and mobility services in more than 200 countries. Hyundai Motor sold more than 4.4 million vehicles globally in 2019, and currently employs some 120,000 personnel worldwide. The company is enhancing its product lineup with vehicles designed to help usher in a more sustainable future, while offering innovative solutions to real-world mobility challenges. Through the process Hyundai aims to facilitate Progress for Humanity with smart mobility solutions that vitalize connections between people and provide quality time to its customers. More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Company believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Police on Thursday identified a person of interest in the death of a tech entrepreneur who was found decapitated and dismembered in his Manhattan apartment earlier this week, police sources confirmed to ABC News. Police also said that the victim, identified as 33-year-old Fahim Saleh, was tased before he was stabbed and dismembered. They have not publicly named the person of interest. The death was officially deemed a homicide on Thursday, with the cause being multiple stab wounds to the neck and torso. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing. MORE: Alleged masterminds behind ex-Nissan chief's international bail jump have been denied bail Saleh co-founded Pathao, a ride-share app that's popular in Bangladesh. More recently, he was the CEO of Gokada, a motorcycle ride-sharing and delivery company based Nigeria, which has faced financial setbacks and recently laid off most of its staff. According to surveillance video from Monday, Saleh was seen around 1:40 p.m. being followed into his apartment elevator by a man wearing a suit, gloves, hat and mask and carrying a briefcase. When the elevator arrives at the seventh floor, which opened right into Saleh's apartment, he falls immediately, the apparent result of an attack. Saleh's body was found Tuesday afternoon by his sister who was concerned after she had not heard from him for a day. She can be seen in surveillance footage entering the building, but the suspected killer is not seen leaving, leading law enforcement to believe she may have interrupted the act of dismembering, police sources said. There is a second way out of the apartment, through a service entrance, according to the sources. PHOTO: Fahim Saleh, co-founder/CEO of Gokada, explains his company's operation during an interview with Reuters in Lagos, Nigeria, May 3, 2019. (Temilade Adelaja/Reuters, File) He was pronounced deceased by first responders on the scene Tuesday afternoon. Saleh's torso was detached from his head and limbs, which were found nearby in several large bags, sources said. An electric saw was also recovered, still plugged into an electrical outlet, according to law enforcement sources. His dog was found alive in the apartment. Story continues Detectives are investigating Saleh's finances for a possible motive, especially his dealings with Gokada. "The headlines talk about a crime we still cannot fathom," Saleh's family said in a statement. "Fahim is more than what you are reading. He is so much more. His brilliant and innovative mind took everyone who was a part of his world on a journey and he made sure never to leave anyone behind. Fahim found success at an early age and built on it year after year, while remaining grounded and committed to helping others. MORE: Tech CEO seen on camera barraging Asian family with racist rant has resigned "No matter what he did, he did it while thinking of the greater good and his family," the statement continued. "His parents and his sisters were his light and he was theirs. There are no words or actions to provide any of us comfort except the capture of the person who exhibited nothing short of evil upon our loved one." Gokada confirmed the "sudden and tragic loss" of its founder and CEO via Twitter, calling him "a great leader, inspiration and positive light for all of us." "Our hearts go out to his friends, family and all those feeling the pain and heartbreak we are currently experiencing, here at Gokada," the company said. "Fahim's vision and belief in us will be with us forever, and we will miss him dearly. Thank you for understanding as we get through this." In a second statement on its official Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Gokada said it was "shocked and saddened" by the "tragic circumstances" surrounding Saleh's death. "Fahims passion for Nigeria and its youth was immeasurable. He believed young Nigerians are extremely bright and talented individuals who would flourish if just given the right opportunity. Fahim also believed that technology can transform lives and improve safety and efficiency. He built Gokada to act upon these beliefs," the statement said. The company noted Gokada's growth under Saleh's leadership, adding, "As painful as these last days have been for us, we at Gokada owe it to ourselves and to Fahims memory to act and fulfill his vision for the company and for Nigerian youth." It continued: "RIP, Fahim. You will be missed by everyone at Gokada and by the entire Nigerian startup community." Person of interest identified in case of tech CEO found decapitated and dismembered originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 14:13:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, July 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 fighters including eight security personnel were killed in clashes erupted in Dawlat Abad district of northern Balkh province on Thursday, district governor Mohammad Yusuf Alomzada said. A group of Taliban militants, according to the official, launched massive offensives on security checkpoints in part of Dawlat Abad district early on Thursday morning and the security forces returned fire. A total of 16 fighters including eight militants and eight security personnel were killed. Over a dozen more security personnel were injured, the official said. Taliban militants who are active in parts of Balkh province with Mazar-I-Sharif as its capital have yet to make comments. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 16) Three thousand pesos await COVID-19 patients from San Juan City who will agree to be transferred from their homes to a city-based quarantine facility, Mayor Francis Zamora announced. He said the cash incentive will serve as additional help for the families of the COVID-19 patient who will choose to be monitored and treated in a local government-manned isolation facility instead of undergoing home quarantine. Aside from this, he said patients in the city's centers will get free medical treatment during their quarantine. "Kapag kayo ay lumipat dito, libre ang inyong almusal, pananghalian, at hapunan. Libre ang gamot. Mayroon kayong 3,000 mula sa pamahalaang lungsod para makatulong sa inyong pamilya," he said in a media interview on Wednesday. [Translation: If you choose to move to isolation facilities, you will receive free meals and medical treatment. You will also receive P3,000 from the local government to help your families.] The government wants to scrap the home quarantine option for COVID-19 patients who don't have a separate room and bathroom. Home quarantine will also not be allowed for those living with children, elderly, pregnant women, and those with preexisting health conditions. The national government recently launched the "Oplan Kalinga" program wherein COVID-19 patients who cannot comply with the home quarantine protocols will be fetched from their houses and brought to government quarantine facilities to control the transmission of the disease. In perhaps the first major meeting of leaders since the outbreak hit, the stakes were too high not to meet face-to-face. There are limits to videoconferencing: When there is a lot of money at stake, people like to look each other in the eye. So, on Friday, leaders from 27 European Union nations will be meeting face-to-face for the first time since February despite the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic to try to divide up a potential package of 1.85 trillion euros ($2.1 trillion) among themselves, and, just as importantly, to see who will pay in the most. In perhaps the first such major meeting of leaders since the COVID-19 outbreak hit the world, the stakes were just too high to maintain extreme physical distancing. You can feel the mood, as it were, Germanys Europe minister, Michael Roth, said of such flesh-and-blood summits. I wouldnt claim to be a psychologist, but I would say it really does help. It better had since five remote video summits so far this year failed to bridge the financial gap between rival nations needing to agree on a more than one-trillion-euro ($1.14 trillion) budget for the next seven years and a 750-billion-euro ($856bn) fund to allow nations recover from the coronavirus crisis. A worker vacuums the red carpet at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium [File: Yves Herman/Reuters] It was already clear at Easter when I was calling, the first time, all the different capitals, that such a decision can only be taken if the leaders, prime ministers, heads of state, meet in person in Brussels, EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said. French President Emmanuel Macron swept into town late on Thursday already, eager to get in as many encounters as possible. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will wait until the official kick-off time early on Friday. Whatever happens, it will make for an EU summit unlike any other at the urn-shaped Europa headquarters. They will be well spaced. EU official preparing the summit For starters, the cosy meeting room on the top floor, where the leaders have clashed at close quarters over everything from Brexit to migration issues, will be exchanged for the prosaically-named meeting room EBS-5, where normally 330 people fit in a space of 850 square metres (9,150 square feet). They will be well spaced when they go into a restricted session with barely a few delegates, deadpanned an EU official preparing the summit. There will be no group photo of the leaders like at last Decembers summit because of physical distancing requirements. Often, the toughest of summits have so-called confessionals where the president of the proceedings takes one or more leaders to the side to see where they might budge. Other leaders can gather in mini-sessions to defend common regional or financial interests. It is bound to happen again, but this time, every room which will be used at the summit centre will be deep-cleaned. The main summit room will only use filtered, non-recycled air. The meeting room where an EU leaders summit will take place is seen especially adapted to keep the physical distancing at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium [Yves Herman/Reuters] As soon as their vehicles pull up into the driveway outside the Europa building, the leaders will immediately experience the difference, officials said. Most of their delegations will be split off immediately and parked in an adjacent building. And instead of a warren of microphones and cameras seeking early comment, they will have the option to make a comment to a neutral outlet, no questions asked. The already byzantine map of the building has been redrawn to avoid unexpected crowds and certain elevators for the leaders will be limited to a maximum capacity of two. At the start of a session, leaders will be urged to mask themselves and respect at least 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) of distance for the informal greetings, often a moment when body language gives away how tough a summit will be. Yet, if Mondays trial run of foreign ministers was anything to go by, discipline was often lacking. Should the worst happen and a leader suddenly shows symptoms, doctors will be on site once he or she is taken out of the room. A nation cannot put in a replacement, and it can only ask a friendly colleague to vote or speak in its place. So, even if it will be a true face-to-face meeting, it will be one laden with provisos. It doesnt automatically mean that excellent results will be achieved and that agreement will be reached quickly, Roth said. But after all, I am an optimist. Others are already looking at an extended summit running even into Sunday, with another one possible within two weeks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out at President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus crisis while saying she wished she could be working with any other former Republican president. 'Observing his behavior I have concluded he is like a man who refuses to ask for directions,' Pelosi announced at the top of the weekly press conference Thursday. The California Democrat implored Trump to fully utilize the Defense Production Act to increase the country's COVID-19 testing capacity and also provide frontline responders with more personal protective equipment, as there are still shortages, she said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she believed President Trump was like a 'man who refuses to ask for directions.' She implored that the president listen to the scientists and also fully utilize the Defense Production Act to boost testing and PPE production House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, photographed wearing her mask as she entered her weekly press conference, said she 'yearn[ed] for other Republican presidents' because they 'had a shared commitment to the governance of our country' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also ripped President Trump (pictured) for his insistence that schools reopen while a majority of the country is seeing coronavirus spikes. She said the least he could do is get the schools proper equipment 'The president has made so many bad executive decisions we wish he would make a good executive decision and do that,' Pelosi told reporters. She pointed out that 'all of the answers are there.' 'The scientists have the answers,' she continued. 'We know that testing, tracing, treating, distancing, masking, sanitation can stop the spread of this virus.' 'And yet the president continues to go down the wrong path and refuses to ask for directions from scientists who know better than any of us,' she added. She said the testing delays - with some Americans not receiving COVID-19 test result for one or two weeks - and continued PPE shortages amounted to a 'massive dereliction of duty' at the hands of the president. 'People are dying,' Pelosi said. Pelosi also ripped Trump for his insistence that children head back to school, while the outbreak is ticking up in a majority of states. She said it was personal because her youngest grandchild attended public school in San Francisco. 'Instead of threatening schools, instead of the secretary of Education saying children should take risks, astronauts take risks. Oh really? Oh really? ... the very least the president could say is we're going to have the equipment necessary.' She knocked the broader Republican Party and Trump for suggesting things like the $600 extra a week in unemployment benefits were too pricy for the country. 'Two trillion dollars that's what they added to the deficit to pass their tax scam a copule years ago, which gave 83 per cent of the benefits to the top 1 per cent,' Pelosi pointed out. 'They're in like a caste-system mode.' And when she was told that Trump was hosting a White House event Thursday afternoon focused on cutting more regulations, she went after him for his recent decision to roll back part of the National Environmental Policy Act. 'I'll tell you this, he's done a lot of bad things,' she said. 'What does he do but say, "I've got beans on my desk" and people cover that,' she said, a light smack at the media. She was referring to Trump posing with cans of Goya beans after liberals called for a boycott for the CEO being complimentary of the president. 'He's going to rise up people from poverty by making them breath foul air. I don't get it,' Pelosi also said. The House speaker mentioned that NEPA was a Richard Nixon-era law. 'I yearn for other Republican presidents,' she said. 'While we may disagree on many points, at least we had a shared commitment to the governance of our country.' Pelosi arrived in Congress in 1987, meaning that she served in Washington alongside GOP Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, prior to Trump. And as she previewed some of the bills Democrats planned to pass in the coming weeks, she taunted Trump again at almost a whisper - as the president has broadly objected to the removal of monuments, including Confederate statues. 'We're going to be passing bills next week or the next about removing statues from the capitol of people who have committed treason against the United States of America,' Pelosi said. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday described the power tussle going on between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot as a fight between "autopilot" and a "fighter pilot". Taking a swipe at Gehlot, the BJP leader said his every statement proves the "Gandhi family's proprietorship" over the Congress. "The political war between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot is a clash between an autopilot and fighter pilot," Shekhawat said in a statement. On Tuesday, Shekhawat had taken a dig at Gehlot, saying the Rajasthan government was on autopilot as the chief minister was "busy chasing a pilot". On Wednesday, Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan's deputy chief minister and president of the Congress' unit of the state. Attacking the Congress, Shekhawat said the party had killed internal democracy decades ago. He said the Congress levelled baseless allegations against others all the time. The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday pledged to launch an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against Mayor Park Won-soon, who committed suicide last week. The city government said a committee of civilians and public officials will look into the allegations brought by Park's former secretary. Opposition lawmakers are calling for prosecutors to investigate, but normally investigations are dropped once the suspect dies. Police have already announced that there is no need to seek an indictment against the mayor since he is dead. A Seoul city spokesman told reporters, "To guarantee fairness and objectivity, we will set up a joint investigation committee with external experts on law, women's rights and human rights." But the plans drew criticism because Seoul city officials are accused of ignoring repeated complaints from Park's former secretary accusing him of years of sexual harassment. They are also suspected of leaking the complaints she filed with police to Park before he killed himself. The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Central government for not making timely appointments of judicial members in the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) and directed it to do the same within a period of one month. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde also said that the court is inclined to extend by 3 months the tenure of officers retiring on July 22 and 23. We will extend the tenure. In the meantime, Union can make regular appointments, CJI Bobde said directing the Central government to make appointments in one month. Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Union of India, suggested giving a time of three weeks to consider names for appointments and said that there will be a huge vacuum in the tribunal as officers are retiring on July 22 and 23. Pulling up the Attorney General, the CJI said, When we enabled you to make appointments, you havent done anything. Why must we give you directions every time? Venugopal, responding to the apex court, said that the same could not be done due to certain difficulties. (ANI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON FILE PHOTO: Empty box office is seen at the China Film Cinema, which has been closed following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Beijing By Sophie Yu and Brenda Goh BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will allow most cinemas to re-open from July 20, the film administration said on Thursday, six months after they were forced to close as part of draconian measures to contain the novel coronavirus. The relaxation has been long awaited in the world's second-largest film market, where lockdowns have eased gradually as infections have dropped sharply since March, with many restaurants and malls open for months. Cinemas in low-risk areas will resume operations but curbs, from limited film showings to mandatory masks, will still apply, although those in medium- and high-risk areas will stay shut, the China Film Administration said in a statement. No area in China is now categorised as high-risk, the government said, however, and just four neighborhoods in Beijing, the capital, are graded medium-risk. "This is breaking news for the industry and people are thrilled," said Gao Jun, former general manager of Beijing-headquartered Xinyinglian Cinema Chain. "This industry is in a desperate situation because of high operational cost: the rent." Cinemas that re-open will have to limit audiences to 30% of normal and keep vacant seats between patrons, who are required to book in advance and not carry in food and drinks, the film authority said. The theatres were forced to shut in late January as China battled the virus that emerged in its central city of Wuhan late last year, before spreading worldwide to cause 14 million infections and 583,000 deaths. Shares in China's largest cinema owner, Wanda Film jumped on the news, to end up 1.1% percent, outperforming a drop of 5% in the benchmark Shenzhen Composite Index. "Wanda Film's preparations are progressing in an orderly fashion," the company, which runs more than 600 cinemas nationwide, said in a statement, adding that it planned to announce re-openings. Last week, it forecast a swing to a first-half net loss of up to 1.6 billion yuan ($230 million), from a gain of 524 million yuan in the corresponding period last year. Social media users welcomed the news, despite the restrictions. "I have many films that I want to watch in the cinema!" said one user on Sina Weibo. (Reporting by Lusha Zhang, Judy Hua, Sophie Yu and Brenda Goh; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Clarence Fernandez) BOSTON, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohere Health has announced its company launch, with the mission of aligning the relationship between physicians and health plans around the care journey in a way that is appropriate for each patient. By leveraging its innovative technology platform that encourages transparent, high-value care alignment across an entire patient journey instead of individual service transactions, Cohere Health aims to improve the quality of care delivered, lower total cost of care, and transform the patient and physician experience. Cohere Health's launch is flanked by the news of its recent $10 million Series A funding round led by Flare Capital Partners, with Define Ventures as an investor and partner as well as participation from an additional leading national strategic partner. Cohere's platform replaces the existing patchwork of legacy, siloed processes and antiquated technologies that contribute to enormous administrative burden for physicians and health plans. It further facilitates the transition from fee-based services to value-based arrangements by providing an evolutionary path that can support all payment arrangements while reducing unnecessary variation in clinical outcomes. Cohere Health has assembled an impressive team of proven leaders, including Gary Gottlieb, MD, former CEO of Partners Healthcare (now MassGeneral Brigham) as Chairperson of the Board of Directors. "As a physician, it's clear to me that the administrative complexity of the current system gets in the way of delivering the care that patients deserve, that physicians want to provide, and that health plans want for their members," Gottlieb said. "If we're going to realize the promise of value-based care, we need an approach that is based on all available evidence, shared expectations and transparency." Siva Namasivayam, CEO of Cohere Health, explained: "The current system is resource-intensive, unwieldy and creates a frustrating experience for patients, physicians and health plans. There's no reason it should be so miserable for everyone involved. We have the evidence-based clinical algorithms, human-centered design and innovative technology to improve the system dramatically." Namasivayam, who has more than 20 years of experience working on transformational healthcare businesses, was previously the CEO/Founder of SCIO Health Analytics. Michael Greeley, General Partner at Flare Capital, which led the Series A round, says Cohere Health is positioned to create real change in healthcareand the timing couldn't be better. "The flaws of the current healthcare system have been exposed further with the COVID-19 crisis," he said. "We believe that transformational technology and analytics need to be applied to ensure patients get necessary care and make the system a win-win-win for physicians, health plans, and above all patients. With the experienced and dynamic team that Cohere has assembled, I can't wait to see how they will transform the business of medicine into a system that's better for everyone." About Cohere Health Cohere Health is a patient-journey-focused software-as-a-service company on a mission to significantly improve the experience of patients, providers and health plans; increase the quality of care delivered; lower total cost of care; and increase transparency across the patient care journey. For more information on Cohere Health, visit www.coherehealth.com and follow us on Twitter @coherehealth. About Flare Capital Flare Capital is a team of proven healthcare technology venture capital investors and senior operating executives known for their unparalleled strategic industry resources, insight and total commitment to the success of its entrepreneurs. Flare Capital raised one of the industry's largest dedicated venture capital funds focused exclusively on early stage opportunities in healthcare technology innovation and is privileged to closely partner with founders and management. Selected investments include Aetion, Aspen RxHealth, Bright Health, Circulation (acquired by LogistiCare), ClearDATA, Cohere Health, Curisium, Eden Health, HealthReveal, HealthVerity, higi, Iora Health, Oui Health, Somatus, Suki, Tausight, Valence Health (acquired by Evolent Health), VisitPay and Welltok. Learn more at www.flarecapital.com and follow the firm on Twitter @flarecapital. About Define Ventures Define Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on building digital health companies redefining healthcare that will change all of our lives. We believe unparalleled change is happening in healthcare at the intersections of healthcare, technology, and consumer trends. Define believes that digital health entrepreneurs deserve investors that have real digital health expertise and experience to partner with them to redefine healthcare. We focus on partnering with entrepreneurs from incubation to Series B investments. Our partnerships include Unite Us, Verana Health, Lightship, Dawnlight, Folx Health, etc. For more information, please visit www.definevc.com. MEDIA CONTACT Tara Stultz Amendola Communications for Cohere Health 440-225- 9595 [email protected] SOURCE Cohere Health Related Links http://www.coherehealth.com A security officer talks on his mobile phone during the sentencing hearing at the North Jakarta District Court in the trial of police officers Ronny Bugis and Rahmat Kadir Mahulette, who were accused of attacking Indonesian corruption investigator Novel Baswedan with acid, July 16, 2020. An Indonesian court convicted and sentenced two low-ranking policemen Thursday to two years and 18 months in prison, respectively, for an acid attack that left a corruption investigator blind in one eye, after a trial which the victim himself and rights groups denounced as farcical. A three-member panel of the North Jakarta District Court found officers Rahmat Kadir Mahulette and Ronny Bugis guilty of committing a premeditated assault on Novel Baswedan, an investigator at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). He lost vision in his left eye permanently after acid was thrown in his face during the April 2017 attack. The defendants have tarnished the reputation of the police force, chief judge Djuyamto said in reading out the verdict. The two officers, who had pled guilty, said they accepted the sentences and would not appeal. Rahmat was sentenced to two years in prison while Ronny was handed an 18-month jail term. Speaking after the court handed down its verdict, Baswedan said he had not expected justice to come out of the trial of the two men accused of attacking him. Even if the sentences were heavy, the trial had been designed to fail, Baswedan, who did not go to the courthouse to witness the verdict, told BenarNews by phone. Earlier in the day, the state news agency Antara quoted him as describing the trial as farcical. Any punishment meted out must be based on objective facts and evidence. We cant punish people for things they did not do, even if they agree to it, he said. The prosecution had sought a one-year sentence for the two, arguing that even though the attack was premeditated, the defendants did not intend to throw the acid on Baswedans face. The indictment brought against the two policemen said the motive for the attack was personal, and not linked to Baswedans work for the agency tasked with fighting chronic corruption in Indonesia. Baswedan was investigating cases that implicated senior officials when two unidentified men on a motorcycle attacked him on April 11, 2017. Human rights groups have called for a new independent investigation, and also denounced the trial as a farce. Rights activists have questioned the prosecutions argument that the defendants did not intend to throw acid in Baswedans face, but on his body. In a statement issued Thursday, the Indonesian office of Amnesty International said the trial was riddled with irregularities. Three key witnesses were not called to testify at the trial, even though they were questioned during the investigation, Amnesty noted. The defendants were also provided with legal assistance by the police force, including a defense lawyer, despite police claims that the two officers were not on duty at the time of the attack, the London-based rights advocacy group said. Last year, police formed a joint fact-finding team with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), consisting of 65 members including 53 police, to investigate the attack on Baswedan. The team found that it occurred when he was investigating six high profile corruption cases, including a mega-graft case surrounding an electronic ID card project. He was the lead investigator in the embezzlement scandal, which saw more than 2.3 trillion rupiah (U.S. $163 million) disappear from a national project to issue new biometric identity cards. The scandal led to the political downfall of then-parliamentary Speaker Setya Novanto, who lost the position before being sentenced to 15 years for his role in taking kickbacks. President Donald Trump returns from his travel to Atlanta, on the South Lawn of the White House on July 15, 2020. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) Police Group That Endorsed Obama Twice Backs Trump A police lobbying group that represents some 241,000 members says its endorsing the reelection bid of President Donald Trump. The National Association of Police Organizations formally endorsed Trump, in recognition of his steadfast and very public support for our men and women on the front lines, especially during this time of unfair and inaccurate opprobrium being directed at our members by so many, the groups president, Michael McHale, wrote in a letter to the president. In 2012 and 2008, the group endorsed Democratic nominee Barack Obama, whose running mate for both elections was Biden. The association didnt endorse Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. McHale highlighted several actions taken by Trump recently, including directing Attorney General William Barr to prosecute people who attack officers, signing the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, and revitalizing a program aimed at reducing violent crime. The national association, a coalition of police unions and groups across the country, represents more than 1,000 units and associations and 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers. Trump, in a social media post, shared the letter while thanking the group for its endorsement. I will ALWAYS back the men and women in blue, and never let you down. LAW AND ORDER will prevail! the president said. Trump has come out against recent efforts to defund the police. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said last week that he believes some funding should be redirected from police departments. That answer appears to contradict a campaign statement issued last month that stated: Vice President Biden does not believe that police should be defunded. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del., on June 30, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) The president fights everyday for the cops that keep us safe while Joe Biden has done nothing to stop his partys defund the police movement and remains silent as police officers across the country are being attacked by violent rioters and protesters, Bob Paduchik, a Trump campaign adviser for law enforcement and labor unions, said in a statement. Bidens campaign and the Democratic National Committee didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment. While accepting the groups endorsement in 2012, Biden said, The President and I are honored to accept the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations. Over the past week, we again saw the incredible sacrifices of our nations police officers and first responders, Biden said at the time. Every day, these brave men and women put their lives on the line to keep our communities saferunning into harms way when everyone else is running out. The President and I will continue to do everything we can to keep police officers across the country on the beat and fight back against cuts that would put our public safety at risk, and make an already tough job even tougher. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. TSX.V: VIPR, OTC: VIPRF Systematic Exploration Continues on Two Fronts at the La Virginia Project. Drilling at the El Rubi Discovery Zone Continues to Expand the System Exploration Drill now Mobilizing to Second Exploration Target, Rubi East VANCOUVER, BC, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Silver Viper Minerals Corp. (the "Company" or "Silver Viper") (TSX-V: VIPR) is pleased to provide results from four new drill holes at La Virginia, two from the El Rubi discovery area and two from the exploration prospect, Macho Libre. As systematic exploration continues along trend at El Rubi, the initial test of Macho Libre is now complete with results from six holes still awaited. The exploration drill is currently moving from Macho Libre to Rubi East prospect. Drill hole results reported here form part of the ongoing drill campaign at La Virginia. Phase II of the campaign had advanced steadily from November 2019 up until a pause in late March 2020, by which time the Company had completed 24 holes for a cumulative 6,955 metres. Work recommenced in June, under comprehensive and strict new safety protocols and monitoring. Recent work at El Rubi has focused on a north-northwest trending mineralized zone composed of a steeply-dipping, gold-silver bearing quartz stockwork/breccia zone, underlain by a series of additional mineralized structures, currently interpreted as being parallel to the main zone. The El Rubi zone has been intercepted over 450m along trend to date. A second drill mobilized to site in March has provided a very early test of the first of three exploration targets, considered by Silver Viper as "High Priority." Initial drill testing of the first of these targets is now complete, with a total of 11 holes for 2,516m over a 1,000m long portion of the Macho Libre trend. Silver Viper's President and CEO Steve Cope states, "Work on site progresses steadily and systematically. We explore with a section by section approach at El Rubi. Results of a newly generated airborne geophysics survey are expected to assist in our definition of drill targets along the El Rubi trend. We are pleased to have completed the initial test at the Macho Libre prospect and that the drill is now moving to Rubi East while we await the balance of Macho sample results." Tabulations of significant intercepts for drill holes LV20-232 and LV20-234 (El Rubi) and LV20-231M and LV20-233M (Macho Libre) are included below. A drill plan showing the relative locations of the collars is accessible on the Silver Viper website. SELECTED EL RUBI DRILLING RESULTS Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Est. True Width1 (m) Ag (g/t) Au (g/t) LV20-232 213.0 220.5 7.5 4.50 32 0.54 LV20-234 116.0 122.0 6.0 4.26 11 2.05 incl 117.5 119.5 2.5 1.18 16 3.59 1 True widths are difficult to estimate at this early stage of exploration. The estimated true widths presented are based on current geological interpretation of the mineralized zones. Estimated Widths reported from El Rubi are 60% and 71% of LV20-232 and LV20-234 respectively. Estimated true widths of Macho represent very early exploration results, intervals have been presented using a 60% of drilled width. Presently the mineralized structures are interpreted as being sub-vertical. This interpretation may be revised as additional data are generated Drill hole LV20-232 (Azimuth 240, Dip -650) was drilled within the main El Rubi trend, and is accompanied by several lower-grade stringer zones, not reported here as significant. Hole LV20-234 (Azimuth 240, Dip -500) which also encountered additional low-grade stringer zones, represents the northernmost drill hole at El Rubi with assays to date. SELECTED MACHO LIBRE DRILLING RESULTS Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Est. True Width1 (m) Ag (g/t) Au (g/t) LV20-231M 176.9 196.5 19.6 11.76 24 0.63 incl 190.5 196.5 6.0 3.60 54 1.07 LV20-233M 165.0 166.5 1.5 0.90 26 1.41 Macho Libre, lies 1.2km southwest of the southernmost El Rubi drilling. The two Macho Libre reconnaissance holes tabulated herein were both drilled from the same pad and are the southernmost test of the prospect. Hole LV20-231M (Azimuth 090, Dip -500) and LV20-233M (Azimuth 090, Dip -600) intercepted the projection of the target structure, with significant width reported in the case of LV20-231. The holes targeted a mineralized structure identified at surface. Mineralization is related to silicified and oxidized breccia hosting fine quartz veining. Sample results related to six drill holes have yet to be returned from the laboratory. About the Project La Virginia is located 220km east-northeast of Hermosillo, Sonora. It is a large exploration area, primarily prospective for fault-controlled, low-sulphidation epithermal precious metal mineralization. The Property and historical exploration database were acquired by way of option agreements made with two distinct parties. Gold and silver mineralization at La Virginia occurs within breccias, veins and stockworks, hosted primarily by andesitic volcanics, often in close spatial association to, or cross-cutting pre-mineral dacite dykes and controlled by fractures and faults that define the regional structural trend. Originally 37,700 hectares in size, Silver Viper's reconnaissance program has identified key targets and trends which are of primary interest. The Company has filed reductions of the large concessions to better focus efforts on the high priority trends. At La Virginia, Silver Viper's Phase I drilling comprised work over five target areas totaling 4,753m in 20 drill holes. Phase II drilling was paused in March of 2020 at a meterage of 6,955m in 24 holes. Work recommenced in mid-June and is expected to continue for the coming months. Hermosillo-based drill contractor, Globexplore Drilling Corp., has provided the drilling services. Drilling by the Company to date builds upon a sizeable database including 52,635m of drill core from 188 diamond drill holes, generated by the efforts of previous operators between 2010 and 2013. Silver Viper is expanding upon this work by continuing exploration northward into prospective untested ground. A recently completed airborne survey was flown by Geotech Ltd. QA/QC Analytical results of drilling intercepts reported by Silver Viper represent samples of halved diamond drill core submitted by Silver Viper staff directly to Bureau Veritas, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Samples were crushed, split and pulverized as per Bureau Veritas method PRP70-250, then analysed for gold by lead collection fire assay fusion on a 30g split with AAS finish, and for a multi-element suite including silver by multi-acid digestion with ICP-ES/MS finish. Samples triggering precious metal over-limit thresholds of 10g/t Au or 200g/t Ag were retested by lead collection fire assay fusion with a gravimetric finish. Silver Viper monitors QA/QC using commercially sourced standards and locally sourced blank materials inserted within the sample sequence at regular intervals. Dale Brittliffe, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the 'Qualified Person' under National Instrument 43-101 and has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Ongoing verification of scientific and technical information is achieved by direct involvement in the exploration work. About the Company Silver Viper Minerals Corp., is a Canadian-based junior mineral exploration company focused on precious metals exploration in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. The Company currently operates the La Virginia Gold-Silver Project. Silver Viper has 100% ownership of the La Virginia concessions acquired from the most recent operator, Pan American Silver Corp., and has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Rubi-Esperanza group of claims internal to those concessions. Silver Viper is under management provided by the Belcarra Group, which is comprised of highly qualified mining professionals. On behalf of the board of directors, Steve Cope President and CEO Forward Looking Information Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to exploration and development, the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing, the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations, fluctuations in the prices of commodities, operating hazards and risks, competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's financial statements available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE Silver Viper Minerals Corp. Related Links https://www.silverviperminerals.com/ When Lottie Dawson trod on something sharp while paddling at the seaside, nurse mum Nikki assumed a jagged rock was to blame. It wasn't until her toe turned black and her foot swelled to twice its size that the pair realised something more sinister was lurking in the waters. On closer inspection, Mrs Dawson saw a spike sticking out of Lottie's toe belonging, it turned out, to a weever fish. Lottie Dawson, 13, was left in pain after she stood on something sharp while paddling at the seaside in Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire and her foot began to swell Her mother Nikki, a 37-year-old nurse, assumed her daughter stood on a jagged rock in the water but was shocked to see a spike poking out her foot The fish, which are about five inches long and bury themselves in sand on the shore, have spines on their backs and gill covers that secrete venom. Mrs Dawson, 36, was enjoying a trip to Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire, with 13-year-old Lottie, pictured. She said: 'Lottie was just paddling, she wasn't far in at all and then she screamed. There was blood dripping from her foot.' After Mrs Dawson pulled the spike from Lottie's toe, her foot started to swell and they rushed to hospital. Mrs Dawson said: 'I am paediatric nurse so I have worked with lots of little traumas but I haven't seen anything like this.' The mum called 999 and was told a warning had been issued about the fish being on Mablethorpe beach in 2018 by the coastguard. She was told to place the foot in water as hot as her daughter could bear to try and bring the poison out. The blackness was reducing, but Lottie's foot had now started to balloon in size, so Nikki decided to take her to Boston Pilgrim Hospital. She said: 'It was on top of her foot so she stood on it underneath. I thought that doesn't look very good. Lottie had the spike of a weever fish in her foot. The five-inch creatures fury themselves in sand on the shore and have spines on their backs and gill covers that secrete venom 'We went to Boston Pilgrim Hospital and they were really worried about it because they this point her foot had tripled in size. There was a lot of fluid there. It was really big and swollen. 'The puncture side had then got an ulcer beneath like a blister. 'She was seen by nurse and doctors, but no seemed to know what was wrong and what they needed to do.' The medics gave the schoolgirl an anti-tetanus as well as anti-biotics and anti-histamines before allowing her to return home on the instruction that she must return within 24 hours for another check-up. However, when the family got home, the foot had swollen up even more. Nikki said: 'We went home, she got in the shower and her foot had literally got even bigger. 'By this time the inflammation and swelling had tracked up her leg so her calf was really big. You couldn't see her ankle.' The mum called 101, who told her to take her daughter to hospital amid concerns she could develop the potentially fatal deep vein thrombosis. The girl and her dad went to hospital and again after treatment she was allowed home. Lottie has since been back to Boston and while the swelling has gone down slightly the family have been told the damage could last for a year. The youngster's foot began to swell and her toe turned black before she was rushed to hospital Nikki said: 'We went back to Boston yesterday. He said he was a lot happier with it now the swelling has gone down. 'But he said he had done a lot of research about it and apparently it can last up to a year like this which is obviously is not great. 'It is awful, it is really big and swollen and there is lots of fluid there. 'I thought this cannot happen to anyone else. We are a sensible family, we don't go to the beach loads. It's one those things. 'She did have flip flops on for ages but took them off because the sand had gone really nice and soft. 'She took them off and unfortunately I think it was hidden under the sand and she stood on it.' The mum now wants to warn other parents so the same thing doesn't happen to them. She said: 'It was just to make others aware that all from stepping on this horrible fish that is the most poisonous fish in the UK that they need to be aware and wear beach shoes all the time. 'As a nurse in the NHS you do see some really nasty traumas. Nobody I have spoken to has seen this before. I think it is really scary. 'My daughter thinks I am unsympathetic but I think that is the nurse in me as you have to find out what is going on. 'We just have to wait and see, if anything changes we will take her straight back.' The test will identify high-risk individuals and enable earlier and targeted treatment. The project has received funding from the Research Council of Norway The molecular diagnostics company Age Labs, the Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics at the Division of Health Data and Digitalization at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the Lab for Dynamic Gene Regulation at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet and the Department of Acute Medicine at Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval, and the Department of Medicine at Brum Hospital, Vestre Viken have partnered to develop a novel test with the aim of improving the outcomes of those infected with SARS-CoV-2. This team will develop a simple blood test to identify high-risk patients early in the course of COVID-19 disease, or even prior to disease onset. The innovation within this project leverages diverse areas of expertise among the collaborators and their many years of experience in developing novel biomarkers based on genome-wide epigenetic data from white blood cells. A clinical need COVID-19 disease has a high hospitalization rate, an unpredictable clinical course, and a high mortality rate. The current treatment is mainly supportive, based on treating complications after they have occurred, and there are currently no clinical markers to determine which patients are at greatest risk for severe outcomes. "The clinical course in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 is unpredictable, and some patients deteriorate fast. Tools that may help us identify who will deteriorate at an earlier stage will be of great importance and enable us to improve the treatment of each patient. We also hope this project may increase our understanding of the biological processes involved in this disease," expresses physician Anders Tveita, who will lead the patient inclusion at Brum hospital. Platform technology Age Labs uses state-of-the-art machine learning technology and data from biobanks to develop biomarkers. The company measures the epigenetic state of immune cells, with a particular focus on age-related diseases. "As medical doctors and clinicians, we understand the challenges confronting our colleagues in the field. When the pandemic hit Norway in March, we quickly realized that our platform puts us in a unique position to contribute" explains Cathrine Hadley, Head of Clinical Development at Age Labs. A predictive test The test will first be used in hospitals to decide the appropriate level of care and to tailor specific treatment. The test also has the potential to become a screening test to differentiate between individuals at high risk for severe disease from those with an innate protection against COVID-19. About us Age Labs is a Norwegian molecular diagnostics company that uses advanced machine-learning to develop and commercialize biomarkers for the early detection of age-related diseases. These biomarkers are suited for evaluating epigenetic drug effects in clinical trials. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200716005347/en/ Contacts: Espen Riskedal, CEO espen@agelabs.com +47 414 36 739 www.agelabs.com Damilola Adegboye, the sister of Nigerias first female combat helicopter pilot, Tolulope Arotile, who died on Tuesday, has demanded an investigation into her death. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported the death of Ms Arotile, who died as a result of head injuries sustained from a road accident at a naval base in Kaduna. She was reportedly killed in a freak accident when a driver was reversing, naval authorities claimed. Last year, the NAF winged Ms Arotile as the first female helicopter combat pilot. She had then successfully completed her pilot training courses at the Starlite International Training Academy, South Africa. Aggrieved sister In an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, Ms Adegboye said the family is devastated by the untimely death. She, however, called for an investigation into the death. Mrs Adegboye reportedly said, We in the family are not convinced that Tolu can just die like that in a freak accident. I know that the military is well trained in the art of investigation, we want them to carry out a thorough investigation that can convince us beyond all doubts that the incident that led to her death was real. She said on the day of the incident, she and the deceased were in the room and she (Tolu) was sleeping A call came into her phone which she picked but from the way they spoke, I knew the caller must be a senior officer calling her to come to Airforce base. She felt reluctant and I offered to drop her off. One hour later, I read online that something serious had happened to her. I couldnt believe that somebody I just dropped off is dead, she added. In the said vein, the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has called for a probe. The tribal leader, in a statement on Thursday, by his spokesperson, Kehinde Aderemi, described the death as a personal loss, especially, to the Yorubas. He also urged the international community to compel the authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death. Nigeria has lost one of its best brains in the military in such a suspicious circumstance, Mr Adams said. The late Tolulope Arotiles short span in life was remarkable with a track record of being the first female combat helicopter pilot. The best we can do as a nation is to get to the root of the circumstances culminating in her death. As far as I am concerned, reports of her death still remained suspicious to me because her death has raised many questions, he added. He said the way the 24-year-old reportedly died raised more questions than answers. READ ALSO: How would such a promising, young girl be killed by a reversing car within the premises of the barrack? Who drove the car? What was his or her name? Where was the suspected killer at the moment? And what is the present situation? We will like to know, and that is why I am charging the international community to investigate and look into the circumstances surrounding her death, Mr Adams said. Mr Adams added that the death of such a promising, young girl has exposed the nation as a country that never values the lives of its citizens, especially, the best and exceptional citizens. Tolus father said he spoke with his daughter by 1 p.m. and by 5 p.m., a few hours later she was reportedly killed by a reversing car and was in the mortuary, he said. That story needs to be investigated because her case is one out of the many deaths of great Nigerians that made positive impacts toward making Nigeria great. The funding is being provided under the EU assistance package to Ukraine. The European Union is to disburse EUR 105 million in support for small- and medium-sized enterprises and reforms in Ukraine. "Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna has signed three agreements with the European Commission on the financing of new EU assistance programs for Ukraine worth EUR 105 million," the Ukrainian government said on its website on July 16. Read alsoZelensky's Office chief, World Bank official discuss provision of US$350 mln loan to Ukraine This funding is being provided under the EU assistance package to Ukraine, aimed at supporting small businesses, pursuing reforms and overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. "The assistance from the European Union will be focused on a number of areas from strengthening the capacity of the authorities and providing expert consultation on the reforms path, to investing in small farms and innovation grants for the development of small and medium enterprises," Stefanishyna said. "The implementation of the aforesaid programs will stimulate the development of Ukraine's economy, as well as allowing more effective counteraction to healthcare challenges." Of the sum, EUR 60 million will be allocated under the 2020 Technical Cooperation Program to increase the capacity of the authorities to carry out reforms under the Association Agreement. In particular, the ministries will receive expert support in the process of development and implementation of reforms. The program will also improve the quality of legislative processes in parliament, carry out the necessary reforms in the healthcare sector and more. Another EUR 25 million will be channeled into the implementation of the EU Support Program for the Development of Agriculture and Small Farms in Ukraine. Under the program, small farms will be eligible for receiving additional grant support, advice and new skills for the development of their production process, as well as for the purchase of land. Besides, the program will help improve resource management in fisheries and forestries. In addition, EUR 20 million will be allocated under the EU4BUSINESS: Support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine. The program provides grants for innovative projects aimed at the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, job creation and business development at the local community level, as well as improving economic policy in this area in line with international best practices. The EU aid package to Ukraine, aimed at fighting and overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, is worth more than EUR 190 million. Assistance will be provided in the following key areas: supporting urgent and short-term needs in the healthcare sector; strengthening healthcare facilities, increasing the institutional capacity of the Health Ministry; and overcoming the consequences of the crisis in the social and economic spheres. COVID-19: UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme continues support through online training UNODC 16 July 2020 - Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with the resulting travel bans and quarantine measures, the Container Control Programme (CCP), managed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO), has been seeking to continue its support to and cooperation with Port and Air Cargo Control Units across the globe. Several options have been tested to continue the scheduled training activities in CCP participating countries. As a first step, an assessment of the situation in all operational countries was made to identify the impact by the COVID-19 lockdown for staff, to verify the percentage of officers working from home, to ensure that social distancing measures are in place and to check the internet possibilities in the respective countries. Based on the feedback provided, a number of pilot countries were identified to pioneer the CCP online training. The first online training was initiated with Bolivia, followed by Colombia and Viet Nam. The first online pilots of the CCP received excellent support from the General Directorate of Viet Nam Customs, Fiji Revenue and Customs Service, Cambodia Customs, Bolivia Customs, Police and SENAPI, Colombia and Afghanistan. The experiences made have been very encouraging. The online training facilitated sharing of first-hand information about drug trafficking situations between countries and regions and the CCP will continue to support all countries currently participating in the programme and reach out via online channels to new countries joining the Programme. To date, 130 online CCP trainings have been completed with 1361 officers were trained online. Certainly, such virtual training cannot fully replace face-to-face training delivery by the CCP training experts and staff, but it will be an additional option also for the future to intensify cooperation and collaboration with partnering countries. Further Information UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme The family of a young mother allegedly murdered by her hulking estranged husband has faced off with him in a Melbourne courtroom. The body of Elaine Pandilovski, 44, was discovered underneath her Mill Park home, on the northern outskirts of Melbourne, on Tuesday. Zoran Pandilovski, 45, has been charged with her murder and on Thursday appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court before devastated family members. Zoran Pandilovski has been charged with the murder of his estranged wife. Pictured: Elaine and Zoran Pandilovski Elaine Pandilovski's (pictured) body was discovered after police conducted a welfare check at the home on at Mill Park at about 9.30pm Tuesday Dressed in a white t-shirt, Pandilovski stared blankly throughout much of the procedural hearing. Seated in the front row was his own grieving mother and brother, who shared a remarkable similarity to the hulking man behind the glass in the prison dock. Across the courtroom were members of Mrs Pandilovski's family, who sat in silence throughout the short filing hearing. Pandilovski was arrested on Wednesday after slamming his car head-on into a random motorist in what detectives suspect may have been a deliberate act to kill himself. He faces two further charges of reckless conduct endangering life over the alleged callous act. A teenage boy was among those injured in the sickening crash, which Pandilovski appeared to have escaped mostly uninjured. His estranged wife had been found dead inside her own home at about 9.30pm on Tuesday during a welfare check. No explanation was offered by prosecutors as to why Pandilovski allegedly killed his former partner. Instead, prosecutors deliberately withheld a police summary in order to keep the allegations secret. It was a move that clearly annoyed highly respected magistrate Peter Riordan, who chastised Victorian lawyers for their repeated attempts to withhold information from the public. 'The public have a right to know about matters. It is through the media they get the information,' he said. 'I can't understand why lawyers get in the way.' The court heard Pandilovski's mother and brother, whom he lived with at Epping at the time of the alleged murder, lived in fear of reprisals from random members of the public. Prosecutors asked for 10 weeks to prepare their case against Pandilovski, telling the court they needed time to forensically analyse a dozen different pieces of evidence. A further 20 more items of interest were located at the scene. The brother of Zoran Pandilovski (far left) and his mother (right) leave the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday Family members of Elaine Pandilovski field questions from Channel 7's 'Harvester of Sorrow' Cameron Baud (right), who famously asked wife killer Borce Ristevski on day one whether he was a killer. He was Pandilovski made no application for bail. His lawyer revealed Pandilovski had been struggling with anxiety and depression and suffered from diabetes. Pandilovski's mother broke down in tears as he was led from the court dock back to jail. She held her other son's hand and sobbed as family members across the courtroom stood up and left. Outside court, family members from both sides were met by a sea of reporters. Pandilovski's mother and brother made their way through the pack without making comment. It was a similar scene from Ms Pandilovski's family, who left the court house with a homicide squad detective. Earlier, family of the special needs school teacher, who also cared for her 10-year-old son with autism, described Ms Pandilovski as a 'beautiful angel'. Elaine Pandilovski and Zoran Pandilovski (pictured) were high school sweethearts. They had a son together Ms Pandilovski's aunt shared a heartbreaking post about the loss of a 'beautiful, caring and compassionate' woman 'My beautiful niece, words can't explain how we are feeling now. Your life was taken from us and we couldn't help... I love you always, life will never be the same, our hearts will never be the same,' Ms Pandilovski's aunt wrote on social media. 'Rest In Peace my beautiful Angel.' The couple were high school sweethearts and had been together for 15 years. But according to neighbours they had recently separated and Pandilovski was living in the nearby suburb of Epping. Local residents said Mrs Pandilovski was a devoted mother and had been living at the single-storey home with the couple's son, Thomas. Pandilovski had been at the house earlier in the day to pick up an Ipad or computer which was broken, the Herald Sun reported. Thomas had been staying at his grandmother's house when his mother's body was discovered by police. 'She was the most beautiful person in the world. She was caring, compassionate did everything for everyone,' the aunt said. 'She was more my best friend more like a sister than a niece. I did everything with her.' One nearby resident described the woman and her son as 'good people'. Detectives (pictured on Wednesday) are seen leaving the Mill Park property on Wednesday 'I just can't believe it,' the neighbour said. 'There was a kid outside crying. Feel sorry for who it is. This is a quiet area.' In 2011, Pandilovski opened up about their relationship, telling the Sydney Morning Herald the first year 'was probably the toughest' year in their relationship. 'We've since had a little boy and that, of course, adds even more pressure to a relationship. But I think now that we've made it this far we are pretty well-equipped to work our way through any problems that might arise.' Pandilovski will return to court in November. If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence you can call the national hotline 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline 13 11 14. The brother of Zoran Pandilovski pushes past a media pack that hurled questions at him on Thursday outside a Melbourne court Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 16, 2020 14:42 552 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666cf26d 4 News destination,Yogyakarta,travel,tourism Free Amid the still alarming pandemic, some tourist attractions in Yogyakarta have opened, but not yet to visitors from outside the region. As reported by kompas.com, the Yogyakarta city administration has opened some of its tourist sites, such as Yogyakarta Palace, Malioboro, Taman Pintar (Smart Park), Taman Sari and Sonobudoyo Museum, but only to local residents. Selected groups of family members, communities or agencies are also welcome, but tourists from outside the region are encouraged to plan their visit for August instead, according to Yogyakarta Deputy Mayor Heroe Poerwadi on Wednesday. "Please be patient, as we're currently still implementing a limited trial phase [at several tourist sites] to avoid coronavirus contagion," said Heroe. "There'll be a time when Yogyakarta will open to all [visitors]." Read also: Borobudur temples Zone 1 reopens to public Heroe added that tourists coming from so-called red or black zones, or areas with a high risk of COVID-19, would be required to show negative rapid test results prior to entering the city. Meanwhile, foreign visitors will have to present PCR test results. I there's a tourist who gets sick during travel, they will also be prohibited from stepping out of their vehicle, said Heroe, adding that officials would be ready to check visitors' health certificates at designated parking spots. All visitors will also be required to wear face masks, wash their hands frequently, maintain a safe distance from others and comply with other aspects of COVID-19 protocols. If a mask is not worn in a public place, there will be a fine of Rp 100,000 or community service. The goal is for everyone to be cautious to avoid new spread of the virus, said Heroe. As of Wednesday, Yogyakarta has recorded 42 cases of COVID-19. Three of the patients are undergoing treatment, 37 have recovered and two have died. Separately, Malioboro's Abu Bakar Ali parking area manager Doni Rulianto said that groups of tourists had started to arrive in Yogyakarta on weekends. A big portion came from Central and East Java. Last weekend, 14 tour buses arrived, said Ali. Ali said the areas management was ready to implement the administration's order to request health certificates from incoming tourists. Previously, we just checked that incoming tourists wear masks and ask that they wash their hands in the places provided, said Ali. (car/kes) Topics : destination Yogyakarta travel tourism Close 'Are you kidding me?': CNN anchor slams Trump for 'hawking' beans brand from Oval Office amid pandemic Donald Trump took a detour from his White House address on rolling back regulations to wax lyrical about his hair and incandescent lightbulbs, which make everyone look better. Likely why light bulbs are making a comeback. Mary Trump continued her media blitz to promote her new book, telling MSNBC she has heard her uncle use the "n-word" and say anti-Semitic slurs. The CDC, meanwhile, released a report claiming the president's China travel ban was too late to slow the spread of coronavirus as Dr Anthony Fauci said 30,000 people would participate in a vaccine trial starting this summer. Check out The Independent's live coverage below: H eather Morris has paid an emotional tribute to her former Glee co-star and close friend Naya Rivera, whose body was found at a lake in California. Rivera, 33, was on a boating trip with her four-year-old son Josey Hollis at Lake Piru when she drowned. Her death was ruled an accident by the Ventura County Medical Examiners Office. Morris played cheerleader Brittany Pierce on TV musical-comedy Glee, while Rivera played her on-screen girlfriend Santana Lopez. The pair became close friends and Morris joined Riveras family at the lake during their agonising wait for news. Morris has now shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying they created the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding. Morris wrote of her "beautiful friendship" with her co-star / Jerod Harris/Getty Images for MySpace She revealed details of the last time they met and said Nivera left her two succulent plants, adding I look at them everyday and think of you. Morris said she listens to Riveras EP on repeat, because from the moment I heard it, it struck me and I always wished the world knew more of your voice. She added: You always shared recipes and I admired your love for food. We vowed to spend every Easter together, even though Covid stole this last one from us. You are and always will be the strongest and most resilient human being I know, and I vowed to carry that with me as I continue to live my life. Naya Rivera - In pictures 1 /24 Naya Rivera - In pictures Getty Images Naya Rivera Naya Rivera Getty Images Glee Glee Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey at The UNICEF Dia de los Muertos Black & White Masquerade Ball 2014 Getty Images Glee Glee Glee Naya Rivera attends the Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai Annual Gala 2019 Getty Images Naya Rivera of 'Step Up: High Water' speaks onstage during the YouTube portion of the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour Getty Images Naya Rivera arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards 2013 Scott Gries/Invision/AP Glee FOX Image Collection via Getty Images Naya Rivera and Ryan Dorsey attend the March Of Dimes Celebration Of Babies Luncheon Getty Images Glee Glee Glee Morris, 33, posted pictures of her and Riveras children playing together, explaining: We never took photos together because we mutually hated taking picturesour relationship meant more than proof. Morris added: I speak to you everyday because I know youre still with me and even though Im feeling greedy that we dont get more time together, I cherish every moment we had and hold it close to my heart. Riveras death was confirmed on Monday when her body was recovered from Lake Piru, a popular spot for swimmers about 56 miles north-west of central Los Angeles. Police said her final act may have been to help her son back onto their rented boat before she became too exhausted to save herself. Other Glee stars, including Darren Criss, Demi Lovato and Gwyneth Paltrow, also shared tributes to Rivera. With reporting by Press Association "You must reside in Ward 3, and have been a resident in Ward 3 for at least a year," said borough Manager Christine Hart. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Associated Press) After initial resistance from some Republicans, Congress is inching closer to an agreement to extend at least some of the $600-a-week federal unemployment insurance subsidy approved this spring to help American workers hurt by the coronavirus crisis. When they return next week to begin talks on another major relief bill, lawmakers face a tight deadline to renew the popular benefit, which expires at the end of the month. The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in many states, including California, is providing a political tailwind for Democrats who want to extend the money. "The extra $600 per week has been an absolute lifeline for these Americans," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.) told reporters Wednesday. He said it was "cruel" to leave unemployed workers in limbo so close to the deadline before Congress reaches agreement about whether the money will continue. And while some in the GOP remain adamantly opposed to extending the money and argue it discourages some workers from returning to their jobs, a few Republicans including some White House officials have begun floating the idea of approving a reduced or more restricted federal subsidy to assist the nearly 50 million American workers who have applied for unemployment insurance since the pandemic began. In public comments over the last two weeks, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and economic advisor Larry Kudlow seemed to open the door to a compromise on the issue. Unemployment insurance is just one of several sticking points. Fights are also brewing over whether to include incentives to reopen schools in the fall, how far to go in shielding companies, schools and others from COVID-19-related liability lawsuits and how much federal aid if any state and local governments should receive to shore up their budgets. They'll also need to agree on how to make the Paycheck Protection Program loans more attractive to small businesses, whether to continue the moratorium on evictions for people living in public housing or renting homes with federally backed mortgages, and whether to issue another direct cash payout of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. Story continues With the traditional August congressional recess looming, there is not much time to reach a deal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) vowed to get a package on President Trump's desk before leaving. "We'll have a bill and hopefully we'll have it sooner rather than later because people really need to have it, and we should have it before the expiration of the unemployment insurance," Pelosi said Wednesday. Direct negotiations between Democrats and Republicans have not yet seriously begin, but both sides have begun publicly sending up trial balloons through news conferences, statements and television appearances. It will mark Congress' first major response to the pandemic since the spring, when it passed several laws that provided a total of nearly $3 trillion in emergency economic aid. Negotiations over what to do next stalled in May, with Republicans saying they wanted to wait until July to see how the money it already approved the largest single economic aid package passed in U.S. history affected the economy before approving more. Democrats pressed on, and the House passed a $3-trillion package without Republican input or the broad support that they hope will be the starting point for current negotiations. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it a wish list and a nonstarter in the Senate. McConnell has been adamant that the next package would originate in his office. Previous coronavirus bills were largely hammered out between Democrats and Mnuchin, much to the frustration of Senate Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Senate Democrats in a call Wednesday that McConnell has not reached out to them for input and that it appears Republicans are trying to sideline House Democrats. But he said Senate Democrats would only negotiate the next package with House Democrats in the room, according to a source on the call. House and Senate Democrats want to extend the $600 federal unemployment benefit through the rest of the year. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have called the flat subsidy a disincentive for people to return to work because some lower-paid workers are making more money being unemployed than they would have at work. Even so, in a departure from his previous position to end the subsidy, McConnell acknowledged this week that unemployment insurance will be addressed in the next bill, though he provided no details. I think you could anticipate this coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks, beginning next week, McConnell told reporters in Kentucky on Monday. Economic experts argue that the purpose of the benefit was to encourage people to stay home and not look for work as a way to control the spread of the coronavirus. Government officials also said providing a flat amount, based on a national average, was the fastest way to get the money out, rather than making adjustments by state or based on workers' pay something beleaguered state unemployment systems were not designed to manage. With the rate of positive cases climbing again in more than half of the states, Republicans have begun talking about extending the benefit at a lower amount going forward or finding a way to cap the benefit to no more than a person's normal take-home pay. One possibility being considered is to cut the unemployment benefit from $600 per week to between $200 and $400 per week, and making up at least part of the difference by sending another round of $1,200 stimulus payments to some families. Pelosi told reporters Wednesday she is open to negotiations on the $600, saying that it needs to be considered in totality alongside potential direct payments to individuals. McConnell reiterated Wednesday at an event in Kentucky that the next aid package must include liability protections for reopening schools, healthcare providers and businesses. Democrats had initially called such liability protections a nonstarter, but have hedged a bit in recent weeks. Pelosi said Wednesday businesses would be protected from lawsuits if the Occupational Health and Safety Administration passes safety regulations they want for workers. McConnell also said the bill he plans to put forward will include incentives to get children physically back to school in the fall so that parents will be able to return to work. That could take a substantial federal investment, he said. The issue has become a key focus in recent weeks, with Trump threatening to tie federal aid to whether schools open fully so children are physically present. While he cannot do that on his own, he could insist on Congress conditioning the aid in some way. Some of the nation's largest school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, are already saying they will not reopen for in-person instruction in the fall. McConnell didn't say education funding should be contingent on reopening, adding that rotating children in and out of schools to limit class sizes may be necessary. "It can be safely done. You have to weigh the consequences. What are the consequences of staying home versus being back in school? Clearly, even though some school districts out West are shutting down again, I think all the evidence indicates that distance learning for kids is not as good," McConnell said. "We need to find a way to safely get back to work, and we feel, I feel like the federal government will have to play a financial role in helping to make that possible." Democrats want the package to address how to reopen schools safely as well, with money for protective safety gear for educators and students, improving ventilation systems and more technology for distant learning. But they oppose Trump's threat of connecting federal aid to schools reopening physical locations, saying student and teacher safety has to be paramount. "We cannot risk their health and safety and indeed their lives [and the] lives of anyone that they might bring this home to," Pelosi said. "Our teachers, our custodians, our people who work in public schools need to be protected. We can't follow the attitude of this administration: 'If you don't open up, we're not giving you money,' No, we'll give you money so that you can open up." Evening Standard Transport for London said significant progress was made over Christmas and the trial operations phase, which began on November 20, saw upgrades to train and signalling software and tunnel fire safety schemes. A precise opening date has yet to be announced but TfL commissioner Andy Byford said he would not allow the line which will be renamed the Elizabeth line when services start running to open until he was sure it was reliable. Originally due to have been opened by the Queen in December 2018, Crossrail has gone billions over budget, with the total cost now in excess of 20 billion. The suspended chairman of the anti-graft agency, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has been released. He was released on Wednesday evening. A family source who asked not to be named informed this newspaper that Mr Magu arrived at his official residence at about 5 p.m. in the Maitama District of the Nigerian capital. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm if he has concluded his appearance before a presidential panel probing allegations against him. Mr Magu was arrested last week Monday. He has been appearing before a presidential panel investigating allegations of corruption and insubordination levelled against him by Abubakar Malami, Nigerias justice minister. Mr Magu and Mr Malami have had repeated disagreements on the anti-corruption war and many Nigerians including a member of a presidential committee on anti-corruption, Femi Odekunle, believe Mr Magus ordeal is part of a power play with Mr Malami. After his arrest, a combined team of police officers and operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) searched Mr Magus house in Karu, Abuja. Nothing incriminating was found during the search, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. On July 11, President Buhari confirmed the suspension of Mr Magu and the appointment of Muhammed Umar, the EFCCs director of operations, as interim head of the anti-graft agency pending the conclusion of Mr Magus investigation. This newspaper also reported how at least 11 EFCC senior officers were suspended in connection with the probe. Among those suspended is the EFCC Executive Secretary Olanipekun Olukoyede. Some unit heads at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja were also affected by the suspension, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. One of the affected officials, who spoke to this newspaper, confirmed the situation. I wrote and sent in my handing over note yesterday (Tuesday), he said, asking not to be named for fear of victimisation. Our sources said among the unit heads suspended were those of legal unit, economic governance unit and tax fraud unit. Some international anti-corruption groups last week wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari on what they consider the unfortunate treatment of Mr Magu. The presidency has, however, said that those who see the investigation as a signal that the fight against corruption is failing, have failed to see the point. Garba Shehu, President Buharis spokesperson, said the investigative panel set up to probe the series of allegations against Mr Magu was in compliance with the law. He also said the suspension of Mr Magu is proof of the governments commitment to fighting corruption. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Forty fishermen, who were stranded in Iran after they could not board the Indian Navy vessel INS Jalashwa at Bandar Abbas Port earlier, reached Chennai airport on Wednesday. L Praveen, general secretary, Maritime People Welfare Association told Express that, of the 44 stranded Tamil Nadu fishermen, 40 returned, while four of them preferred to stay in Iran. He said Captain Sanjay Parashar, chairman of International Maritime Federation, helped the seafarers return home. This also comes after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urged the Central government to arrange for the repatriation by air of 40 fishermen from the state stranded in Iran. A total of 681 fishermen stranded in Iran returned safely to the state by Indian Navy Ship INS Jalashwa on July 1. Malini Parthasarathy has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of The Hindu Group Publishing Pvt Ltd. She succeeds N Ram, who stepped down as Chairman after touching the age of 75. Parthasarathy was earlier Co-Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the company. At the Board of Directors meeting held on July 15, 2020, Parthasarathy appreciated Rams outstanding stewardship at a time when the media industry was in turmoil. She said that it was Ram who always urged the company and the paper to be the best versions of themselves, and added that this was an important legacy that she would strive to uphold. Ram expressed confidence in Parthasarathy, who has been contributing to the newspaper in various capacities for more than three-and-a-half decades and has also taken an active interest in the business side of the company. He added that Parthasarathy would succeed in fulfilling the responsibilities that come with her new position. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More FMCG firm Marico on July 16 said its chief financial officer Vivek Karve has resigned from the company. It has appointed its executive vice president & head finance, Pawan Agrawal as its next CFO, Marico said in a regulatory filing. The board of the company in a meeting held on Thursday has accepted the resignation of Karve, who was associated with Marico from last 20 years. "The Board accepted the resignation of Vivek Karve, Chief Financial Officer, to be effective from the close of business hours on September 10, 2020. "The board appointed Pawan Agrawal as the CFO of the Company with effect from September 10, 2020, in succession to Karve," Marico said in the filing. Besides, the board has also approved the scheme of amalgamation between Marico Consumer Care Ltd (MCCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, and Marico Ltd. "The scheme is subject to the requisite statutory/regulatory approvals including the approval of jurisdictional National Company Law Tribunal and the respective shareholders and creditors of the company and Marico Consumer Care," the firm said. MCCL owns various Intellectual Property Rights which are licensed to Marico. The amalgamation of MCCL and Marico would result in consolidation of business, elimination of a multi-layered structure, and reduction in administrative, compliance and other operational costs. "There is no cash consideration involved. Since MCCL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marico, no shares of Marico shall be allotted under the Scheme in lieu or exchange of the shares of MCCL," it said. Karve had joined Marico in 2000 and was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company on April 1, 2014. "In his 20 years stellar career in Marico's Group Finance, Karve contributed significantly to the Company's growth and transformation journey," the filing added. Agrawal a Chartered Accountant, had joined Marico in 2004 as Regional Operations Manager for South Sales Division in Hyderabad. The provinces police watchdog has invoked its mandate after a 73-year-old man was shot and killed by police northeast of Haliburton, shortly after he allegedly assaulted a Minden grocery store employee over a mask dispute. In an interview with the Star, OPP Sgt. Jason Folz said the worker was cleaning carts outside the store Wednesday morning and attempted to give the man a free mask, which all customers are required to wear, when he was assaulted. The man then left, driving dangerously through the parking lot, Folz said. Our units caught up with him on Hwy. 35 and tried to stop him, but that pursuit was discontinued in the interest of public safety, Folz said. Excessive speed and wild driving played a part in calling off the chase, Folz said. The Special Investigations Unit said in a news release that the OPP was notified that a man had assaulted individuals at about 9:25 a.m. before leaving the scene. Folz said only one person was attacked. After abandoning the police chase, officers made their way to a residence on Indian Point Road, about a 30-minute drive away, after running the vehicles licence plate, the SIU said. Outside of the mans residence, the SIU said there was an interaction and two officers discharged their firearms, striking the man. He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly before noon, according to the SIU. SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon told the Star that understanding what transpired, including whether or not the man was in possession of any weapons, will be part of the SIUs investigation. On Thursday, the SIU confirmed a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol were discovered in the investigation. The firearms belonging to two police officers have also been secured, they said. Four investigators and three forensic investigators have been assigned to the case so far, the police watchdog said in the release. Investigators have yet to locate the mans family. Four officers with the OPP have been called on as witnesses in the investigation. Linda Easton, the owner of Eastons Valu-mart, told the Star that she was proud of her staff for mitigating a bad situation. I want to say how great staff are in grocery stores everywhere during COVID, and that they need a lot more recognition for the services they provide to customers, Easton said. We all need a lot of recognition and we dont know who comes into our building so I dont know if we all get that, Easton said. Earlier this month, a video went viral that showed a man at a T&T grocery store in Mississauga shouting racist insults at employees after he was asked to wear a mask. Easton said she didnt want to comment on the events that unfolded after the incident at her store. What happened here is one thing, but what transpired after is a whole different story, Easton said. The OPP Association said on Twitter that they couldnt comment on the specifics of the investigation. Our Ontario Provincial Police Association representatives are engaged with our members at this time, reads their message. In all traumatic situations involving police we are concerned for the well being of all affected. The Special Investigations Unit is an arms-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. The SIU is also urging anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the agencys website. Its increasingly clear that July 4 celebrations are contributing to a spike in Michigans coronavirus case numbers. Wednesday, the state reported 891 new cases -- the highest daily number since April, not including a May 14 report included a backlog of cases. Browser does not support frames. Browser does not support frames. South Africa: Mbalula outlines new COVID-19 rules for taxis Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has urged taxi operators to adhere to the regulations set out for public transport in order to protect themselves and passengers from Coronavirus. Mbalula briefed media on Thursday, following President Cyril Ramaphosas address to the nation on Sunday where he introduced risk-adjusted regulations as the number of COVID-19 infections rises exponentially in the country. For the taxi industry, these new regulations include, among others, the mandatory use of face masks (or other appropriate item covering both mouth and nose) by all those in the taxi; sanitising of passengers before boarding and alighting; the use of jammers to keep windows open by at least 5cm, and a 70% loading capacity for inter-provincial travel, while local taxis will now be able to carry passengers to full capacity (100% load). Mbalula said the regulations were introduced after wide consultations, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. Consultations with health experts were undertaken and their additional recommendations in the face of the increased loading capacity were duly considered and accepted, said the Minister, adding that preserving livelihoods was not an easy balance to strike. Safety first Mbalula said disinfecting of vehicles, sanitising and social distancing have been in placed squarely in the hands of public transport vehicle owners. Meanwhile, no operator may allow anyone to enter their vehicle without wearing a cloth face mask, homemade item, or another appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth. Similarly, drivers and other employees must wear face mask or appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth, together with a face shield, said the Minister. According to the Department of Transport, you also need to wear a protective mask if you are driving with other passengers in your own private vehicle. Local transportation Buses, taxis, e-hailing, meter taxis, shuttle services, chauffeur-driven vehicles and scholar transport vehicles are also permitted to load 100% of licensed carry capacity for any trip not regarded as long-distance travel, which refers to any trip that is 200km or longer. Also, commuter rail is permitted to carry 70% of licensed carry capacity. Operators must sanitise vehicles before picking up and after dropping off passengers. Areas to be sanitised also includes vehicle doors, window handles, armrests and handrails. Meanwhile, passengers must sanitise after they enter the vehicle and after getting off the vehicle. Marshals, security officers and passengers are obliged to wear a cloth face mask that covers nose and mouth throughout the journey. No person or passenger will be allowed to use any form of public transport or enter a building, place or premises if they do not wear a cloth face mask or a homemade item or another appropriate item that covers nose and mouth, Mbalula stressed. In addition, intra-provincial, metropolitan areas and district public transport are permitted to operate without the requirement for a permit. Permits Long-distance travel is permitted for a person permitted to travel between provinces in terms of level 3 and permits remain compulsory, Mbalula explained. Law enforcement authorities have a duty to enforce compliance with the law. This is a necessary evil, whose sole purpose is to curb the spread of the virus across provincial epicentres, he said. He said mini and midi-bus taxi vehicles and buses may not carry more than 70% of their maximum licensed passenger-carrying capacity for long-distance intra-provincial travel and permitted inter-provincial travel. Transportation of liquor The President put a suspension on the sale, dispensing and distribution of alcohol, as well as reinstated a curfew between 9pm and 4am. The Minister explained, however, that the transportation of liquor is only permitted for movement from a manufacturing plant to storage facilities, and from manufacturing facilities to exit ports for export. Transportation of liquor for sale, dispensing and distribution to customers is prohibited, said Mbalula. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The European Peoples Party has issued a statement expressing its strict concern over the recent escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and stating that the conflict needs to be solved within the scope of the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and under their fundamental principles. The European Peoples Party also calls on all the sides to respect the ceasefire regime and immediately stop the military operations in order to avoid further casualties, especially among peaceful civilians. Manchester & London Investment Trust Plc - Results of General Meeting MANCHESTER AND LONDON INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (the "Company") Results of General Meeting 16 July 2020 On 24 June 2020, the Company issued a Circular and convening a General Meeting of the Company. The full text of the resolutions can be found in the Circular which is available on the Company's website: https://mlcapman.com/manchester-london-investment-trust-plc/ The Board announces that, at the General Meeting held at 11.55 am today at 12a Princes Gate Mews, London, SW7 2PS, all resolutions were passed. The votes were all cast by proxy due to restrictions in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The total number of proxy votes cast in relation to each Resolution was as follows: Resolution Votes for Votes against Votes at Chairman's discretion Shares marked as votes withheld / abstentions Resolution 1 (Ordinary resolution) - To authorise the Board to allot shares in addition to existing authorities 3,845,198 410,882 1,025 4,349 Resolution 2 (Special resolution) - To disapply statutory pre-emption rights in limited circumstances in relation to the issue of Ordinary Shares 3,835,383 421,498 1,025 3,548 Resolution 3 (Ordinary resolution) - To approve the issue of New Ordinary Shares to the Related Party by way of any issue & approve the issue to the Related Party on the 12th February 2020 3,836,681 416,276 1,025 7,472 In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.2, copies of all resolutions will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism LEI: 213800HMBZXULR2EEO10 Enquiries: M&L Capital Management Ltd ir@mlcapman.com END. The federal government is everywhere. It employs nearly 9.1 million workers, which is nearly 6% of total U.S. workforce. This includes nearly 2.1 million federal employees, 4.1 million contract employees, 1.2 million grant employees, 1.3 million active duty military personnel, and more than 500,000 postal service employees. They operate trucks, construct highways, build buildings, drive heavy equipment, blanket our highways with government vehicles, and are ubiquitous in our national economy. Every year, government pays an estimated $35 billion annually because of vehicle crashes alone, an estimated 12.6% of the total economic cost of crashes (Federal 7.1%, State/local 5.5%). For limited government advocates, the numbers are astonishing. For subrogation professionals, however, the numbers should represent a tremendous opportunity. Sovereign Immunity The federal government does not simply roll over and let you sue them. They enjoy sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity refers to a governments immunity from being sued by its citizens in its own courts without its consent. It can trace its roots as far back into the English common law as the 13th Century. Underlying sovereign immunity is the concept that the king can do no wrong, because his word was the law. The American legal system is predicated on an entire body of laws not found in any books English Common Law. Sovereign immunity found its way into American law books via the common law. Long before the Federal Tort Claims Acts was passed, the only way to sue the federal or state government was to get its consent, something rarely given. For many years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, there were no exceptions to the immunity of the federal government. Federal Tort Claims Act The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) is a limited waiver of the sovereign immunity of the U.S. It was passed in 1946 in order to make the federal government liable for certain torts and actions of its employees in the same way a private individual might be liable, although with many exceptions. Title IV, 60 Stat. 812, 28 U.S.C. Pt. VI Ch. 171, 28 U.S.C. 1346(b), 2671-2680. The FTCA allows recovery for injury or loss of property, or personal injury or death caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any employee of the Government while acting within the scope of his office or employment, under circumstances where the United States, if a private person, would be liable to the claimant in accordance with the law of the place where the act or omission occurred. It is strictly construed in favor of the federal government and all ambiguities are decided in favor of the government. The FTCA operates vicariously if a government employee commits a tort in the course of his or her employment, the federal government, not the employee, becomes the defendant. All damages are paid by the government, not the employee. The federal district courts have exclusive jurisdiction over FTCA actions. The FTCA relies on substantive tort law of the state in which the claim is filed. Molzof v. U.S., 502 U.S. 301 (1992). Therefore, if a particular action is not recognized in that particular state, the plaintiff cannot sue. Midwest Knitting Mills, Inc. v. U.S., 950 F.2d 1295 (7th Cir. 1991). The extent of the U.S. liability under the Act is determined by state law, except that punitive damages are not allowed. 28 U.S.C. 2674; Molzof, supra . The FTCA is the exclusive remedy in any civil case resulting from actions committed by a federal employee in the course and scope of employment. If the employee is sued in state court rather than the U.S., the Attorney General will have the case removed to a federal court, once it has been certified that the employee was acting within the scope of his or her employment. Process for Making a Claim and Filing Suit Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), a person who plans to file a personal injury action against the federal government must present a written notice of claim, or administrative claim, to the government agency that is responsible for the injury. A notice of claim is a prerequisite to a personal injury action against the federal government. If no notice of claim has been given, a court will dismiss the action. In order to sue the federal government, you must first file an administrative claim prior to filing suit. This claim must give the governmental agency enough notice of its nature and basis so that it can begin its own investigation and evaluation, and it must demand payment for a sum certain. The administrative claim must be filed within two (2) years of the injury. 28 U.S.C. 2401(b). Tort claims against the U.S. are forever barred unless they are first presented in writing to the appropriate federal agency within two (2) years of accrual of the cause of action, and then brought in court within six (6) months following denial by that agency. 28 U.S.C.A. 2401(b); Severtson v. U.S., 806 F. Supp. 97 (E.D. La. 1992). Failure to file an administrative claim means any lawsuit will be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. After a plaintiff files an administrative claim, the government must deny the claim in writing before suit can be filed. If the government does not take action on the claim within six (6) months, it will be considered denied and then suit can be filed. 28 U.S.C. 2675(a). After the claim is denied (either by direct denial or inaction), the plaintiff has six (6) months to file suit. 28 U.S.C. 2401(b). Sufficient detail and notice must be contained in the claim. It must be specific enough to make the government aware of the action, so it can prepare to defend itself. The claim is not required to provide more than the minimal details of the facts involved in the incident in order to give the government sufficient notice. A Standard Form 95 is frequently used to present claims against the U.S. under the FTCA. It can be found HERE. Standard Form 95 is not technically required to present a claim under the FTCA, but it is a convenient and safe format for supplying the information necessary to bring an FTCA claim and is the preferred method for doing so. Statute of Limitations Typically, the FTCAs two (2) year statute of limitations will apply, even to allow a claim which would be time-barred under applicable state law. However, under the FTCA, [t]he United States shall be liable in the same manner and to the same extent as a private individual under like circumstances. 28 U.S.C.S. 2674. State law establishes FTCA causes of action, but federal law defines the limitations period. In other words, the FTCA incorporates the substantive law of the state where the tortious act or omission occurred. Augutis v. United States, 732 F.3d 749 (7th Cir. 2013). This creates some tension between applying the FTCAs procedural time limitation and adhering to the same manner and to the same extent requirement of the FTCA. Therefore, in states that treat statutes of limitations or repose as substantive, rather than procedural, the FTCAs procedural requirements are to be in followed in addition to those substantive state requirements. For states which treat statutes of limitations or repose as procedural, only the FTCA two (2) year statute will apply. In some states, statutes of limitations and/or statutes of repose are considered to be procedural, or even a hybrid between the two, and the FTCA two (2) year statute of limitations is not preempted by state law. The tendency has been to rule that statutes of repose are substantive and statutes of limitations are procedural. Right to Jury Trial There is no right to a jury trial in actions brought under the federal statute, except in actions to recovery wrongfully collected taxes or penalties, even if one would have existed in a suit against the employee. 28 U.S.C. 2402; 28 U.S.C. 1346(a)(1). Damages The FTCA allows recovery for injury or loss of property, or personal injury or death. 28 U.S.C. 1364(b)(1). Compensatory damages are the only damages recoverable. Injunctions, attorneys fees, and/or punitive damages are expressly forbidden. 28 U.S.C. 2674; Joe v. U.S., 772 F.2d 1535 (11th Cir. 1985). Attorneys fees claimed by attorneys for successful plaintiffs are limited to 25%. 28 U.S.C. 2678. Unlike the Tort Claims Acts of many states, the FTCA does not contain a damages cap. The amount recoverable is unlimited, other than limitations a private party would be limited under the relevant state law. Therefore, the U.S. is able to take advantage of any damage limitations or tort reform measures in the state in which the suit is pending. Carter v. U.S., 982 F.2d 1141 (7th Cir. 1992). Exceptions to FTCA While the FTCA waives immunity of the federal government, it does not waive all immunity for all actions. There are major exceptions set forth in the statute 28 U.S.C. 2680. Product Liability Claims. Products liability claims are not specifically addressed in the FTCA. However, cases that have dealt with questions of federal government liability for defective products generally dispose of such claims on a government contractor or discretionary function grounds. In one case against the federal government involving exposure to toxic chemicals by an infant, the claims against the government were barred under either the independent contractor exception or discretionary function exception. Goewey v. U.S., 886 F. Supp. 1268 (S.C. 1995). Strict liability for ultra-hazardous activities is also not allowed against the federal government under the FTCA. Laird v. Nelms, 406 U.S. 797 (1972). Discretionary Acts. This is the broadest and most contentious of the FTCAs exceptions. As is the case with most of the state Tort Claims Acts and state case law involving claims against states, municipalities, and local governments, the most significant exception to liability under the FTCA is the discretionary function exception. The federal government retains immunity for the discretionary acts of government employees. A discretionary function is an act involving an exercise of personal judgment. The basis for the discretionary function exception to the FTCA is the legislative branchs desire to prevent judicial second-guessing through tort actions of legislative and administrative decisions grounded in social, economic, and political policy. The discretionary function exception appears to be, in some respects, an affirmative defense that can arise to an absolute defense and allow the federal court to dismiss claims. This defense to liability arises when the act in question requires the exercise of judgment in carrying out official duties. The U.S. Supreme Court has developed a two-step test to determine whether a particular government action constitutes a discretionary action. In Berkovitz v. U.S., 486 U.S. 531 (1988), affirmed in U.S. v. Gaubert, 499 U.S. 315 (1991), the Court noted that a trial court must ascertain the precise governmental conduct at issue and consider whether that conduct was discretionary, meaning whether it was a matter of judgment or choice for the acting employee. If a federal statute, regulation, or policy specifically prescribes a course of action for an employee to follow, and the employee follows it, the action is not discretionary. In many cases the issue becomes whether the act in question was controlled by a shall versus a may. If the act is governed by a shall, the employee has no rightful option but to adhere to the law. If it is determined that the employees actions were discretionary, the second element is whether the discretion requires the exercise of judgment based on considerations of public policy. The subjective intent of the employee in exercising the discretion conferred by statute or regulation is not the issue. Rather, the court looks at the nature of the actions taken and on whether they are susceptible to policy analysis. The challenged action must be based on considerations of social, economic, or political policy the type of judgments the exception was intended to protect. The second prong is met if the actions were susceptible to policy analysis, regardless of whether the government employee actually made a policy determination. This second prong gives judges considerable leeway and is frequently used to reflect and inject political preferences. If both elements of the Berkovitz-Gaubert test are met, the discretionary function exception to the waiver of sovereign immunity applies and the government may not be sued. Ministerial Acts. Immunity from tort liability does not apply if the action was mandated by law or regulation and the employee had no choice or discretion in how to undertake the actions. Ministerial acts are those that do not require an officials discretion because they follow a predetermined plan and cannot be changed, such as following a health department checklist regulation, or they do not involve any special expertise, such as operating a motor vehicle. Similarly, if the government builds and operates something, then it has a ministerial duty to maintain it, and will be liable for failing to do so. Examples of Ministerial Acts. Examples of ministerial or proprietary functions of government include owning and renting out real property, in which case the government is wearing its landlord hat; providing medical or psychiatric care, in which case the government wears a physician hat; owning and operating a school, in which case it wears a parent hat. Also, proprietary would be operating an electric utility. If a government escalator malfunctions, there is no statutory or regulatory law specifically governing how the government should respond in that situation. Therefore, it is discretionary and immune. A prime example of a ministerial act which is not immune and for which the government is liable is negligence in the operation of motor vehicles. U.S. v. Gaubert, 499 U.S. 315 (1991). Although driving requires the constant exercise of discretion, the officials decisions in exercising that discretion can hardly be said to be grounded in regulatory policy. Subrogation Under the FTCA An insured and its subrogated insurer may both proceed against the U.S. government under the FTCA. U.S. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 338 U.S. 366 (1949). Although an insurer that is subrogated to the rights of its insured may maintain an action under the FTCA, the insurers claims against the government are limited to only such rights as the insured possesses. Kodar, LLC v. U.S. (F.A.A.), 879 F. Supp.2d 218 (D.R.I. 2012). The pleadings should be made to reveal and assert the actual interest of the plaintiff and to indicate the interests of others in the claim. An insurer making a subrogation claim under the FTCA must provide notice to the U.S. government under the same timeline and in the same manner as the insured. Great American Ins. Co. v. U.S., 575 F.2d 1031 (2nd Cir. 1978); Liberty American Ins. Group v. U.S. Air Force, 2008 WL 906848 (N.D. Fla. 2008). Where the insured does not file a claim with the government agency, the insurer must do so within two (2) years after the incident, regardless of when their claim payments were made. Progressive Am. Ins. Co. v. U.S., 913 F. Supp.2d 1318 (M.D. Fla. 2012). This is because the subrogated carrier stands in the shoes of its insured. If a subrogated carrier files the Form 95 claim, the form should indicate that the insureds carrier is pursuing subrogation rights. Administrative Notice of Claim by Subrogee An issue which often arises is whether a Notice of Claim filed by an injured employee or insured sufficiently preserves the claim of the subrogated insurance company, or vice-versa. In Ahmed v. U.S., 30 F.3d 514 (4thCir. 1994), the court held that when the insured relied on his auto insurers Notice of Claim regarding subrogation of property damage and a deductible, the insured failed to allege a sum-certain value of claim with a simple reference to a potential personal injury claim was included in the insurers attorney on insurers subrogation claim for property damage and claimants deductible claim, and the insurers attorney was not given authorization to represent the injured insured in the personal injury claim. Following settlement of insurers subrogation claim, the insurers attorney informed the Navy that he would not be seeking further payment. A subrogated carrier is usually included in and protected by its insureds administrative claim against the federal government under the FTCA if the original administrative claim filed by the insured was brought for the full amount of the insurers claim. The insureds claim would then satisfy the claim filing requirement under 2401(b) on behalf of the insurer and would not prejudice the government. Interboro Mutual Indemnity Ins. Co. v. U.S., 431 F. Supp. 1243 (E.D. N.Y. 1977); Severtson v. U.S., 806 F. Supp. 97 (E.D. La. 1992). In Cummings v. U.S., 704 F.2d 437 (9th Cir. 1983), the court considered an FTCA action for damages brought by an insured against the government in which the subrogated carrier filed a complaint in intervention. The government moved to dismiss the intervenor for failure to satisfy 2401(b)s limitation period. The court stated that the insurer as subrogee was the real party in interest to the extent of the subrogation. The court reasoned that the complaint in intervention had the same effect as substitution of the insurer as the real party in interest under FRCP 17(a), which relates back to the filing of the original complaint under FRCP 15(c). The 9th Circuit stated that the outcome under this analysis is consistent with the holdings of other courts which have considered the insurer/subrogee problem under the FTCA. See Wadsworth v. U.S. Postal Serv., 511 F.2d 64 (7th Cir. 1975) (amended complaint to substitute insurer as proper plaintiff related back to the filing of the original complaint by insured); Executive Jet Aviation v. U.S.,507 F.2d 508 (6th Cir. 1974). Section 2675(a) of Title 28 and 28 C.F.R. 14.2(a) require two elements for sufficient presentment of a claim to an agency: (1) written notice sufficient to cause the agency to investigate, and (2) a sum-certain value on the claim. See Adkins v. U.S., 896 F.2d at 1326. The sum-certain requirement is one of substantial importance, and even courts liberally construing the presentment requirement under the FTCA require that the claimant place a certain value on the claim. See, e.g., Williams v. U.S., 693 F.2d 555 (5th Cir.1982) (we have held that no particular form or manner of giving such notice is required as long as the agency is somehow informed of the fact of and amount of the claim within the two-year period prescribed by 2401(b).). An insurers request for reimbursement alone may not adequately perform those notice-giving functions. The claims of an injured party and his insurance carrier are not always coextensive. An insurers claim will never exceed that of the injured party; the injured party, however, often seeks recovery for damages not encompassed in the insurers claim. This distinction is inherent in 39 C.F.R. 912.6(D) which permits subrogees to present wholly compensated claims, but requires both insurers and injured parties to participate, either jointly or individually, in filing partially compensated claims. Shelton v. U.S., 615 F.2d 713 (6th Cir. 1980). Some courts allow a subrogee to assert an FTCA claim when only its subrogor had filed an administrative claim. In Executive Jet Aviation v. United States, 507 F.2d 508 (6th Cir. 1974), the 6th Circuit held that this complied with the FTCA because the subrogee stands in the shoes of the subrogor. The court also reasoned that tolling the statute of limitations for the subrogee made sense because the subrogors administrative claim gave the U.S. sufficient notice to begin assembling witnesses and evidence in preparation for a defense on the merits. Id. The 9th Circuit followed Executive Jets holding in Cummings v. United States, 704 F.2d 437, 439 (9th Cir. 1983). In Interboro Mutual Indemnity Ins. Co. v. U.S., 431 F. Supp. 1243 (E.D. N.Y. 1977), the insured filed a timely claim with the Coast Guard for both bodily injury and property damage arising from a car accident and filed suit within six months after it was denied, but only for personal injury. The insureds auto carrier filed a claim for property damage which was not acted on because the insureds claim was denied. The insurer intervened more than six months after the denial of the insureds claim. The court held that the subrogated insurer was not included in the claim filed by the insured without its consent and was not barred by the six-month limitation. In Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. U.S., 507 F.2d 508 (6th Cir. 1974) and Sky Harbor Air Service v. U.S., 348 F. Supp. 594 (D. Neb. 1972), the insured filed a claim without naming the insurance company. When the insured brought suit, the government moved to dismiss on the ground that the real party in interest did not file a claim as required by 2401(b). In Executive Jet Aviation, Inc., the court held that the insureds filing did cover the insurance company because the government was not prejudiced and because the purpose of the FTCA was not to make recovery from the government technically more difficult. The same result was reached in Sky Harbor Air Service where the court held that the insurance company was covered by the insureds filing. Subrogating against the federal government requires preparation and timing. When a federal employee, U.S. Postal Service vehicle, or other federal apparatus is involved in an insurance claim, subrogation should be at the top of the list of claims handlers responsibilities. Check with subrogation counsel to determine what must be done and when, including whether the claim is the sort of claim for which the federal government waives immunity. Airline job security in Pandemic 2020 - Fly Guy Column (Micah Fluellen Los Angeles Times / Getty) The COVID-19 crisis has turned traveling by plane into a dystopian endeavor. Passengers and crew peer from behind face masks that help prevent transmission of the coronavirus. In an effort to curtail person-to-person contact, in-flight food and beverage service has been minimized or eliminated. Casual conversations are a relic of the past, replaced by unspoken questions about a seatmates personal hygiene. Reduced travel demand has created fewer flight options and increasingly crowded airplanes. For passengers, air travel is awkward and worrisome. For airline employees facing job cuts, the situation is much worse. In an effort to remain solvent, the U.S. airline I work for (one of the worlds largest) made the inevitable decision to downsize. During our darkest days in April, capacity fell by 80%, pushing revenue to a negative position. By June, revenue had crept up to $1 billion, compared with $4 billion in 2019. The 75% drop and bleak outlook for future profits forced the airline to slash flights, retire aircraft and cut costs. Pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, baggage handlers, management personnel, mechanics and others were asked to accept early-retirement packages, leaves of absence or reduced work schedules. These concessions, however, will not keep the airline airborne. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided the airline with $5.8 billion in payroll support from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In exchange for the cash, the company agreed not to furlough employees until Sept. 30. As that date approaches, the airline faces a difficult decision. Approximately 27,000 flight attendants are employed by the airline. According to a management letter posted on our employee website, by the end of September when the furlough restriction ends, some 7,000 to 8,000 flight attendants may become redundant. In a last-ditch effort to reduce those numbers, the airline will offer a third and final early-retirement package. (Previous packages included a one-time payout of up to $32,000, two years of group healthcare insurance and free, space-available air travel.) Story continues Additional leaves of absence will be offered to further reduce the ranks. Once these numbers are calculated, the airline will know precisely how many flight attendant jobs are at risk. The letter went on to say two of 12 operational bases are closing. Flight attendants stationed in St. Louis and Raleigh, N.C., will be reassigned to bases in Dallas and Charlotte, N.C., respectively. Displaced flight attendants are left with two unappealing options: Uproot their families and move to the new base or commute by plane to and from their base using space-available employee travel passes. (Those unwilling to move from Raleigh to Charlotte have the added option of a 2-hour drive to the airport.) For anyone facing a furlough, however, commuters and base transferees are in enviable positions. In the letter to flight attendants, management explained there will be fewer crew members scheduled to work a flight. Beginning in October, staffing on wide-body aircraft is reduced to the Federal Aviation Administration minimum (10) plus one. For example, long-haul flights to Europe and South America on Boeing 777-300 are staffed with 13 flight attendants. Come October, that number drops to 11. From a safety standpoint, nothing changes. One flight attendant, as per FAA regulations, is assigned to each of the aircrafts 10 doors. But because in-flight service has been pared, 11 flight attendants will remain to serve 304 passengers on a typical eight- to 10-hour flight. Perhaps the most harrowing announcement was that 19 of our international routes have been terminated. Not postponed. Terminated. We will no longer fly from Los Angeles to Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo, Brazil. Other hubs Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and Charlotte have terminated routes to Milan, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Paris; Berlin; and Budapest, Hungary. These drastic cost-cutting measures create a trimmed-down airline better suited for survival. But for thousands of airline employees bracing for September, survival is a bitter pill to swallow. July 16 : After addressing the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput recently, actress Rhea Chakraborty urges home minister Amit Shah for a CBI inquiry in the case and admits that she was the girlfriend of the late actor. Actress Rhea Chakraborty just took to her social media profile and wrote a two-part tweet, addressed to Home Minister Of India, Mr. Amit Shah. It read, @AmitShah sir, Im Sushant Singh Rajputs girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, it is now over a month since his sudden demise. I have complete faith in the government, however in the interest of justice, I request you with folded hands to initiate a CBI enquiry...I request you with folded hands to initiate a CBI enquiry into this matter. I only want to understand what pressures, prompted Sushant to take this step. Yours sincerely #satyamevajayate @AmitShah sir Rhea has been facing a lot of backlash and wrath of Sushant Singh Rajputs demise. Many believes the actor hung himself because she refused to marry him, at this point all this is mere hearsay, and nothing has been proven so far! The police are investigating the circumstances that led SSR to take such drastic measures, ending his life. Interestingly this is first time that Rhea Chakraborty has confirmed that she was Sushant Singh Rajputs girlfriend, and urged for a CBI inquiry into the late actors death. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Transactions at Bao Viet Corporation. The country's total insurance premium revenue last year reached VND160.2 trillion (US$6.89 bilion), posting 21 per cent year-on-year increase. - Photo courtesy of Bao Viet Group On the list of 10 most prestigious insurance companies in Vietnam in 2020 released by VNR, up to 90.5 per cent of surveyed businesses were optimistic about the insurance sector in the second half of the year. According to the report, the insurance market has seen high and stable growth, contributing to building a transparent financial background as well as stabilising the macro-economy. Total insurance premium revenue last year hit VND160.2 trillion (US$6.89 billion), a 21 per cent year-on-year increase. Total non-life insurance premium was VND52.4 trillion and life insurance was VND107.8 trillion. Insurers paid VND44 trillion for customers. VNR said leaders of insurance companies have reviewed their operation and distribution model based on customers, sellers and investments into databases and digital tools due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of insurers said their decisions relating to risk management, human resource management, service management and customer approaches and digital transformation have gradually changed with the outbreak, the report said. However, the insurance industry still saw stable growth as financial and risk management has been improved. Insurance products and services have met customers diversified demands. VNR said three biggest opportunities for the sector would be strong development of technologies in all phases of the insurance value chain, the improvement in peoples awareness about insurance and prospects for the macroeconomy recovery. Another report from the US-based credit rating agency AM Best provided a stable outlook for Viet Nams non-life insurance market in 2020. The reasons for the rating include the relatively high level of risk capitalisation associated with a prudent portfolio and favourable population structure and insurance demand for medium and long-term growth prospects of retail non-life products. In addition, the impact of the US-China trade war may aid Viet Nam as multinational companies look for new markets outside China. Figures from the General Statistics Office showed the total insurance premium in the first half of the year rose by 11 per cent from the same period last year. Of which, revenue from life-insurance posted a 13 per cent year-on-year increase and non-life insurance was 8 per cent. Life insurers expect to resume their growth in the second half of the year. Insurers said there were four products with high potential for growth. Vehicle insurance is forecast to grow strongly, especially after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed Decree No 70/2020/ND-CP stipulating a registration fee reduction of 50 per cent for cars. After the COVID-19, people continued to face a new concern with dengue fever and diphtheria. This makes people more interested in insurance than before, boosting life insurance. The Governments good control of the pandemic has contributed to enhancing the reputation of Viet Nam to foreign investors. The increase in investment and relocation of production facilities of multinational corporations as well as cash flow given by the Government to support economic development will create growth opportunities for many businesses and public services. This will also open up opportunities for technical property insurance. Meanwhile, AM Best also forecast that Viet Nam's non-life market will maintain stable capital in the current situation. However, in the medium and long term, insurance enterprises may need to increase capital for growing demand. Many large international insurance groups that own shares at Vietnamese insurance firms expect to increase their ownerships through additional capital contributions or acquisitions of existing shares. However, this depends on the divestment plan of the Government, which is often delayed due to administrative procedures. Kolkata, July 16 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, here on Thursday, hit out at Governor Jaddeep Dhankhar for his criticism of the state's education system. A governor couldn't talk like a political party's representative, she said. "I urge the Governor to respect the Vice-Chancellors. He can't talk like a political party representative," Banerjee said at Nabanno, the Secretariat. During the day, Dhankhar criticised the education system and said the quality of education in West Bengal was rapidly falling due to political control and affiliations. "It's unfortunate that the education is politically controlled. The politically-controlled education system can never serve the purpose. The political grip on education is tightening in Bengal. It will hurt students, education scenario and society at large," the Governor said. Terming education important, he said, "It's the soul of the society as it passes from one generation to another. Neglect of education will hurt generations." His remarks came a day after the state government refused permission to VCs to attend a virtual meeting, called by Dhankhar on July 15, citing the Covid-19 pandemic. "Are we his servants? It's going too far now. He (Dhankhar) is constantly asking for information from the state government. What should we do? Should we only reply to his queries and do nothing else? I have been in touch with him over phone. I won't show you the telephonic thread as it's not proper. The Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary have met him several times to update on various issue," Banerjee said. Earlier, the Governor said he had scheduled a virtual conference with the VCs. "You will be shocked. The government said there is no provision for virtual conferences. Can you ever imagine in changing India the virtual conferences are being held day in and day out by the Chief Ministers. The government has the audacity to write to the Governor saying there is no such rule," he said. Stating that he is here for a year and trying to improve the education scenario, Dhankhar said, "I have interacted with former VCs, students, guardians and academicians. They all share my anguish that education in the state, which is gifted with the finest and oldest institutions, is rapidly falling due to political control and affiliations." "If I am raising the issue of quality of education, I want students to get the best. I don't understand why the government is objecting to this," he remarked. San Francisco and San Mateo counties appear to be destined for the dreaded California state watch list, where counties become subject to state-mandated business closures if they appear on the list for three consecutive days. There are six different indicators that can land a county on the watch list: 1. A seven-day average of fewer than 150 tests conducted per 100,000 residents 2. More than 100 cases per 100,000 residents over 14 days 3. More than 25 cases per 100,000 residents over 14 days AND a seven-day average of test positivity over 8% 4. A 10% increase in the three-day-average for hospitalizations 5. Having less than 20% of ICU beds available 6. Having less than 25% of ventilators available Most counties go on the list due to case and hospitalization increases (2 and 4). Analysis first conducted by the Mercury News and confirmed by SFGATE shows that both San Francisco and San Mateo counties have recorded over 100 cases per 100,000 residents over the past 14 days, which should land both counties on the watch list sometime in the near future. SFGATE analysis found that San Francisco has seen 115.9 cases per 100,000 residents over the most recent 14 days of reporting and San Mateo has seen 124.6 cases per 100,000 residents. Unless daily case increases dramatically decline, it will likely be difficult for the two counties to get off of the watch list in under three days. San Francisco and San Mateo are the only two Bay Area counties not on the watch list at this point, as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma have all been on the watch list for well over the three days required to trigger business closures. Counties on the watch list for more than three days are required to shut down indoor operations for hair salons, nail salons, other personal care services, gyms, malls, places of worship, and offices for non-critical sectors. For San Francisco, the new closures would not impact the county much as officials have continued to delay the reopening of most indoor businesses. For San Mateo, however, the state-mandated closures would likely upend the local economy once again as indoor businesses have been open with modifications for almost a month. Counties that have already been ordered to close businesses have been instructed to keep them closed for at least three weeks. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here. San Francisco's health director discourages 'hard-to-resist' gatherings Gauging the early impact of Fourth of July gatherings on Bay Area coronavirus spread San Francisco Unified to begin fall semester in August with distance learning only Latinos make up half of SF's COVID-19 cases, despite community making up 15% of population Alameda County allowed to reopen outdoor dining, Oakland Zoo after state approves variance Eric Ting is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 16, 2020) - TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (XETR: TH8) ("TransCanna" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that with the recent state-wide final license approval, today its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lyfted Farms, Inc. ("Lyfted"), has begun preparations for the commercial launch of distribution activities at its flagship 196,000 square foot Daly Avenue Facility in Modesto California. The goal of Phase 1 is to focus on expansion and ramp-up of the companies' distribution activities. The revised design of Phase 1 of the Daly Distribution build-out increases capacity by 16,000 square feet, allowing the Company to expand this core business unit to service escalating demand from customers. "After many months of planning and preparation, our team is thrilled to begin operations inside of Daly," said CEO Bob Blink. "We look forward to rewarding our investors' patience with this initial phase and present the true potential we believe The Daly Building has to offer. As early as Q4 2020, we expect to see an incremental increase in revenue from Distribution activities in the vicinity of $6,000,000 CDN per quarter. When combined with existing revenues, our target run-rate by our fiscal year-end should exceed previous projections and be in the neighborhood of $36,000,000 CDN." Lyfted Farms has accepted a contract with Bay Alarm Company to install a state of the art, integrated security system in preparation for commercial activity at the Daly facility. Pre-site preparations are underway, and system completion is expected by August 15, 2020. Additionally, the facility's triple-redundancy heating, ventilation, and air conditioning "HVAC," sub-forty-degree Fahrenheit freezer, and distribution area systems have been activated for pre-cooling and calibration within the areas of operation. Employee technician training has started on the Company's high speed automated packaging systems, combining WeighPack Swifty Baggers and Combiscale 14-head rotary scales to provide high-efficiency and precision filling, which reduce labor and material costs to industry-leading levels. Story continues Packaging and support materials began arriving this week into the Daly distribution center with completion of the Phase 1 Distribution build-out expected by September 15, 2020. About TransCanna Holdings Inc. TransCanna Holdings Inc. is a California based, Canadian listed company building Cannabis-focused brands for the California lifestyle, through its wholly-owned California subsidiaries. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.transcanna.com or email the Company at info@transcanna.com. On behalf of the Board, Bob Blink, CEO 604-349-3011 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws or forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future events of management of the Company. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations for growth and the commencement of operations of the Company's Daly facility. The forward-looking information in this press release is based upon certain assumptions that management considers reasonable in the circumstances, including that operations will commence at the Company's Daly facility in Modesto, California as and when expected. These forwardlooking statements involve numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties associated with the forward looking information in this news release include, among others, dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including state, local or other licenses and any inability to obtain all necessary governmental approvals licenses and permits to complete upgrades to its Daly facility in a timely manner; engaging in activities which currently are illegal under U.S. federal law and the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution; regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, particularly in California, due to inconsistent public opinion, perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry, bureaucratic delays or inefficiencies or any other reasons; any other factors or developments which may hinder market growth;; reliance on management; and the effect of capital market conditions and other factors (including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic) on capital availability; competition, including from more established or better financed competitors; and the need to secure and maintain corporate alliances and partnerships, including with customers and suppliers. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59909 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Policy makers should increase child benefit and consider difficulties faced by families on low incomes in order to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic heightening existing inequalities and creating new ones, according to a new study. COVID-19 has caused additional, often extreme, hardship in families' lives with policy responses often not focused on the needs of families with dependent children. Now, as we approach the end of lockdown, the 'future' looks highly uncertain for many. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and York say that the 'new normal' brings with it new costs for such families, who havein some casesbeen left hungry, fearful, stigmatized and excluded. Emergent findings from researchers' participatory work with parents and carers emphasize the need for a cash injectionhighlighting that supermarket vouchers replacing free school meals have had a poor uptake, often seen as a stigmatizing substitute for financial support. Working with Child Poverty Action Group, the researchers launched the COVID Realities project to explore the experiences of parents and carers on low incomes, discovering among other things that: Daily essentials became more costly and less available, raising household costs; People's mental health is suffering from both new and compounded strains; Financial, emotional, and social support are needed to navigate additional barriers; Food provision is sometimes insufficient, causing parents/carers to feel guilty; and Future concerns focus on finding work and managing financial difficulties, as lockdown eases. Researcher Dr. Kayleigh Garthwaite, a Birmingham Fellow in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, commented: "We're calling for an increase to Child Benefit of 10 per child per week to help families cope with the additional costs caused by lockdown and associated pressures around home schooling. "We must also embed the experiences and perspectives of people living on a low income within policy making decisions and debates. Only by so doing can we ensure the 'new normal' is better for us all and make a real contribution to tackling poverty across the UK." Researchers worked with parents and carers, who kept diaries and took part in activities during June 2020, to produce their initial findings. The COVID Realities project will see parents and carers managing on a tight budget share their experiences in online diaries and activitiesworking with the research team to develop recommendations for policy change. Findings from the 18-month projectfunded by the Nuffield Foundationwill seek to influence the evolving social security policy response. Parents and carers described how lockdown made their usual budgetary practices impossible, for example visiting different supermarkets to find the best prices or buying unbranded goods. Several families across the UK have already shared their experiences with researchers as part of a pilot study, including Angela, a single parent of two young children, in receipt of Universal Credit, who said: "There are lots of empty spaces on the shelf so you have to grab what there is and some of those products you wouldn't usually buy it is a financial cost," said Angela. Sarah, a mother of two boys, said, "My little boy who is five is always hungry I ran out of jam, bread, eggs, which is the stuff I use to fill him and really can't be going shopping again till Sunday." Researchers discovered that perpetual strain affected some families' mental health, with parents describing depression, low mood, paranoia, anxiety, insomnia, apathy, and a loss of routine and control. Some also felt humiliated by having to ask for help with basic survival needs. "Parents expressed feelings of guilt and shame linked to their inadequate access to food," added Dr. Garthwaite. "The loss of emotional and interrelated financial support from family was also experienced sharply. "Before lockdown, grandparents had provided emotional support, but also crucial practical and financial help like shopping, lunches or dinners. The closure of schools left children without social contact with their peers, and some parents feeling unsupported or alone." Dr. Garthwaite added that some parents and carers had also used programs during lockdown to defer payments or bills. They now felt intimidated at the prospect of these returning, along with continuing heightened costs of lockdown. Explore further Children show increase in mental health difficulties over COVID-19 lockdown More information: More information can be found on the Covid Realities: More information can be found on the Covid Realities: www.covidrealities.org/ DUBLIN, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global mHealth Market By Type, By Services, By Devices, By Stakeholders, By Application, By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global mHealth Market size is expected to reach $206.1 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 31.6% CAGR during the forecast period. Mobile health (mHealth) refers to the practice of mobile-supported public health and treatment, such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, tablets, and wireless systems. Under digital health, mHealth covers both multimedia and telecommunications infrastructure technologies for delivering health information. mHealth applications include; education & awareness, assistance for diagnosis & treatment, management of the health care supply chain, remote monitoring, management of chronic diseases, among others. The mHealth industry is expected to witness substantial growth over the projected period as mHealth facilities are increasing globally. Increasing demand for home-based remote patient monitoring services for the aged population is also a key factor in fueling growth in the mHealth market. Some of the prominent developments the industry is experiencing include growing application of cloud-based mhealth applications through healthcare, growing use of mhealth applications for customized patient experience, as well as remote tracking and increasing emphasis on consumer-centered connectivity solutions. Growing innovations in preventive healthcare and increased funding for mHealth start-ups are also driving the market growth. Mobile healthcare applications are gaining momentum in the healthcare sector with the advent of numerous digital start-ups. In addition, the rise in adoption of mHealth is due to factors such as increased penetration of smartphones, high internet use, and the easy availability of mHealth apps. In addition, recent developments in wearable technology and a growing prevalence of chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular disorders and diabetes, have contributed significantly to the growth of the segment. Aside from technical advances, a viable business model and strategic partnerships are the two most important factors for businesses to create structured revenue channels. Nonetheless, factors such as data protection issues and poor network coverage can hinder the market growth. mHealth apps are expected to see a lucrative growth rate over the projected period due to strong consumer demand. Increased adoption of wearables by patients and the health-conscious population is expected to also have a positive effect on the market. It has been observed that the majority of digital healthcare start-ups have adopted the B2C business model, which allows faster adoption compared to multi-stakeholder structures in the primary healthcare sector. The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix, Johnson and Johnson, Medtronic PLC, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Bayer AG are the forerunners in the mHealth Market. Companies such as DexCom, Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., AllScripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Omron Corporation, Cerner Corporation, and Sanofi S.A. are some of the key innovators in mHealth Market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Bayer AG, Medtronic PLC, Johnson and Johnson, Koninklijke Philips N.V., DexCom, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group), Omron Corporation, AllScripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Sanofi S.A., Cerner Corporation. Unique Offerings from the Publisher: Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology Chapter 2. Market Overview 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Overview 2.1.2 Market Composition and Scenario 2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market 2.2.1 Market Drivers 2.2.2 Market Restraints Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global 3.1 Cardinal Matrix 3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments 3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements 3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions 3.2.3 Mergers & Acquisitions 3.3 Top Winning Strategies 3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2015-2019) 3.3.2 Key Strategic Move: (Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements : 2015, Jun - 2020,Feb) Leading Players Chapter 4. Global mHealth Market by Type 4.1 Global Services Market by Region 4.2 Global Devices Market by Region Chapter 5. Global mHealth Services Market by Type 5.1 Global Monitoring services Market by Region 5.2 Global Diagnosis services Market by Region 5.3 Global Healthcare Systems Strengthening Services Market by Region 5.4 Global Other Services Market by Region Chapter 6. Global mHealth Devices Market by Type 6.1 Global BP Monitors Market by Region 6.2 Global Cardiac Monitors Market by Region 6.3 Global Pulse Oximetry Market by Region 6.4 Global Blood Glucose Meters Market by Region 6.5 Global Apnea & Sleep Monitors Market by Region 6.6 Global Neurological Monitors Market by Region 6.7 Global Wearable Fitness Sensor Device & Heart Rate Meters Market by Region 6.8 Global Others Market by Region Chapter 7. Global mHealth Market by Stakeholders 7.1 Global Mobile Operators Market by Region 7.2 Global Device Vendors Market by Region 7.3 Global Healthcare Providers Market by Region 7.4 Global Content Players Market by Region Chapter 8. Global mHealth Market by Applications 8.1 Global Cardiovascular Diseases Market by Region 8.2 Global Diabetes Market by Region 8.3 Global Respiratory Market by Region 8.4 Global Neurology Market by Region 8.5 Global Other Applications Market by Region Chapter 9. Global mHealth Market by Region 9.1 North America mHealth Market 9.2 Europe mHealth Market 9.3 Asia Pacific mHealth Market 9.4 LAMEA mHealth Market Chapter 10. Company Profiles 10.1 Bayer AG 10.1.1 Company Overview 10.1.2 Financial Analysis 10.1.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis 10.1.4 Research & Development Expense 10.1.5 Recent strategies and developments: 10.1.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements: 10.1.6 SWOT Analysis 10.2 Medtronic PLC 10.3 Johnson and Johnson 10.4 Koninklijke Philips N.V. 10.5 DexCom, Inc. 10.6 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group) 10.7 Omron Corporation 10.8 AllScripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. 10.9 Sanofi S.A. 10.10 Cerner Corporation For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ttz7h4 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com YEREVAN, JULY 16, ARMENPRESS. The Yazidi community of Armenia condemns the provocative actions launched by Azerbaijan on the border, Yazidi MP from the ruling My Step faction Rustam Bakoyan said at the extraordinary session of the Armenian Parliament. The recent military provocative actions of Azerbaijan receive an adequate response from the Armenian side. The Yazidi community condemns these provocative actions of Azerbaijan, and dozens of Yazidis living in Armenia have applied and are ready to go to the border and protect our common border if necessary, the lawmaker said. He called on the Yazidis around the world to actively cooperate with the Armenian Diaspora in order to give a concrete diplomatic response to Azerbaijans provocative actions. Overnight July 16, at around 03:40, the units of the Armenian Armed Forces have noticed movement of the Azerbaijani side. Switching to all-round defense, the Armenian Armed Forces prevented the sabotage infiltration attempt of the Azerbaijani side. After a hot battle the adversary was pushed back suffering losses. Thereafter, at 05:20, the Azerbaijani forces started shelling Aygepar and Movses villages of Tavush province, firing mortars and D-30 howitzer. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan The independence of Venezuela's justice system has been "considerably undermined", fuelling impunity and human rights violations, the UN rights chief charged Tuesday in a report. The 15-page document by Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was commissioned in September by the UN Human Rights Council and is to be presented before the body on Wednesday. It was released a week after Venezuela's Supreme Court, comprised mainly of judges loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, ordered Juan Guaido to relinquish his position as leader of a main opposition party. Venezuela has been in political turmoil since 2019, when Guaido declared himself acting president, charging that Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent. The United States no longer recognises Maduro as president and has been trying unsuccessfully to oust him, in part by recognising Guaido as the country's interim head. Around 60 other countries have followed Washington's lead. Meanwhile, the report by Bachelet's OHCHR office said it "remains concerned about the lack of independence in the justice system in Venezuela. "OHCHR considers that the independence of the justice system is considerably undermined due to insecurity of tenure of judges and prosecutors, the lack of transparency in the process of designation, precarious working conditions, and political interference. "This situation prevents the judiciary from exercising its key role as an independent actor in protecting human rights, and contributes to impunity and the persistence of human rights violations," the report said. The UN body charged that alleged victims of human rights violations had difficulty obtaining justice. Venezuela's attorney general should reduce "high levels of impunity for killings in the context of protest, security operations, allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and gender based violence", the report said. It made 21 recommendations. Among them was completing judicial reforms announced in January to guarantee the system's "independence, impartiality, transparency, accessibility and effectiveness". The report said Caracas must investigate alleged human rights violations, including "deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, torture and sexual and gender-based violence involving members of the security forces". Bachelet also urged Venezuela to publish a comprehensive report on the investigations and criminal proceedings concerning deaths that occurred "in the context of protests in 2014, 2017 and 2019". Civilians should no longer be tried by military tribunals, it added. The report by Michelle Bachelet (pictured June 2020), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said her office "remains concerned about the lack of independence in the justice system in Venezuela" A Call by the Health Minister for mandatory face coverings in shops has split policing and retail unions over who will enforce the rules. Robin Swann said yesterday that he will recommend the measure to the Executive. The UK Government has already announced plans to make face coverings compulsory in retailers from July 24. Mr Swann said that wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces "will have to become second nature" to prevent further spikes of Covid-19 in the autumn and winter. He added that the measure would provide "clarity and reassurance" for the public and that he was backed by Northern Ireland's chief medical and scientific officers. Mr Swann said it was also necessary to reassure vulnerable people as shielding measures are due to be paused on July 31. Shopworkers union Usdaw said it should never fall on retailers to enforce face coverings, while the Police Federation of Northern Ireland said enforcement should be a last resort and officers couldn't be expected to respond to every incident. Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: "It is right to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory in shops, but we must recognise that expert advice says it is an additional protection on top of existing safety measures. "Even if face coverings become mandatory in Northern Ireland, Usdaw is urging employers to stay with the established two-metre social distancing, using screens at tills and limiting the number of shoppers in store at any one time. "We are clear that it should never fall on shopworkers to enforce the wearing of face coverings, they are already dealing with more abuse than normal and this could be another flashpoint. "Our members would need clarity on age identification procedures under the 'Think-25' policy when a customer is wearing a face covering." Mr Lillis said a public information campaign was also needed detailing the correct use of face coverings and who is exempt. The Police Federation called for a partnership approach between officers, shop owners and the public. "Enforcement will play a part but that will most likely be a last resort. However, retailers must also take some responsibility for encouraging customers to comply," it said. "The police cannot deal with this in isolation and will rely on society as a whole taking responsibility. "We anticipate a situation where people generally will wish to willingly comply to limit the spread of the virus and help society return to the nearest we can get to pre-lockdown conditions. "Officers will, of course, intervene in situations where there is a refusal to comply but we would sincerely hope that this will only be in exceptional circumstances." It warned that limited police resources could not be stretched unnecessarily and that more serious crime and public safety remained paramount. In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, the Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said a shift in evidence had now strengthened the case for face coverings. Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said it was a "sensible" option to reduce the risk of a second outbreak. "The need to ensure that we are not overwhelmed by any new wave of Covid-19 is paramount," he said. "Spikes and outbreaks across our nation, islands and beyond show that until a proven vaccine arrives, we must take precautions such as wearing face coverings." The PSNI has yet to comment on the minister's proposals. By Jonathan Allen and Shubham Kalia (Reuters) - The U.S. government executed a convicted murderer on Thursday in the second federal execution in as many days after a 17-year pause, overcoming court orders that said condemned men should have time to contest the legality of a new one-drug lethal-injection protocol. By Jonathan Allen and Shubham Kalia (Reuters) - The U.S. government executed a convicted murderer on Thursday in the second federal execution in as many days after a 17-year pause, overcoming court orders that said condemned men should have time to contest the legality of a new one-drug lethal-injection protocol. Following another overnight volley of final legal challenges that were cleared away in the small hours by the Supreme Court, Wesley Purkey was pronounced dead at 8:19 a.m. EDT (1219 GMT) at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said. The resumption of capital punishment this week has divided the public, the families of the condemned men, Supreme Court justices and others. Relatives of the victims of Daniel Lee, who was executed on Tuesday, opposed his execution in anguish, noting his accomplice in the murder of an Arkansas family in 1996 had been sentenced instead to life in prison. In contrast, the family of Jennifer Long, the 16-year-old girl raped and murdered by Purkey in Missouri 1994, expressed relief on Thursday morning after witnessing Purkey's death. "We took care of today what we needed to take care of," William Long, the girl's father, told reporters. "It has been a long time coming. He needed to take his last breath, he took my daughter's last breath. And there's some resolve." If a third convicted murderer is put to death on Friday as planned, President Donald Trump's administration will have completed as many federal executions in a single week as happened in the preceding 57 years, though executions by some state governments remain common. The Justice Department began efforts to revive capital punishment in the federal justice system soon after Trump's inauguration in 2017, announcing last year it would replace the old three-drug protocol with lethal injections of a single drug: pentobarbital. The department sought to end a de facto moratorium engendered by a spate of botched executions, legal challenges and difficulty in obtaining lethal-injection drugs. It spent much of 2018 and 2019 building a secret network of companies to make and test the drug, some of which were identified in a Reuters investigation last week. Inmates on federal death row, including Purkey and Lee, sued the Justice Department over the protocol, saying it would cause unconstitutional suffering as the caustic drug quickly filled their lungs with bloody fluid before they lost consciousness. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington is overseeing the lawsuits, which are ongoing even as the plaintiffs are put to death by the defendants one by one. She sided with some of the condemned men's arguments, issuing injunctions once last year and twice this week in order to let their lawsuits play out, which were each overturned by higher courts. Twice this week, a 5-4 majority in the Supreme Court cast out Chutkan's injunctions. But the court's liberal justices have questioned whether any form of capital punishment can be allowed. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in a dissenting opinion this week that "the resumption of federal executions promises to provide examples that illustrate the difficulties of administering the death penalty consistent with the Constitution." Lawyers for Purkey, 68, had argued that his Alzheimer's disease had advanced to the point that he longer understood why he was being executed, but he was lucid in his final words while strapped to a gurney. He apologized to his victim's family and to his own daughter for the "pain and suffering" he had caused them, according to a reporter who was allowed to witness the execution and share notes with other outlets. "This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever," Purkey said a few minutes before he would be pronounced dead. "Thank you." (Refiles to add omitted byline) (Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Peter Szekely and Daniel Trotta; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bernadette Baum) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Pakistan on Thursday provided Indian officials consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former naval officer sentenced to death for alleged involvement in espionage, for only the second time since he was detained in March 2016. The Indian side took up Pakistans offer only after receiving assurances regarding unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional access to Jadhav, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. India has been requesting for unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav. On the basis of assurances provided, our officials proceeded for the meeting [on Thursday], Srivastava told a weekly news briefing. The Indian side will assess the situation and comments on the matter after the officials who met Jadhav submit a report, he said. The timing of the meeting was crucial as it was held just four days before the expiry of a deadline for Jadhav, his legal representative or the Indian government to file a review petition in the Islamabad high court under an ordinance promulgated by the Pakistan government. Unlike the past meetings with Jadhav, which were high-profile affairs, Pakistani authorities did not release any photos or video footage of Thursdays meeting that was kept tightly under wraps. Before the meeting, India had made it clear that the Pakistani side couldnt impose conditions such as making audio and video recordings of the conversation or insisting that Jadhav and the officials speak only in English, people familiar with developments said. A statement from Pakistans foreign ministry said consular access to Jadhav, 50, was provided for the second time following an Indian request. Consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations was first provided in September 2019, while Jadhavs mother and wife were allowed to meet him in December 2017. Two consular officers of the Indian high commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access toJadhav at 1500 hours, the statement said. The statement repeated Pakistans accusations that Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 and that he had confessed to his involvement in terrorist activities. India has already dismissed such charges and said the former naval officer was kidnapped by Pakistani intelligence operatives from Irans Chabahar port, where he was running a business. Earlier this month, India had accused Pakistan of coercing Jadhav not to file a petition seeking a review of his case and of not complying with the International Court of Justices (ICJ) verdict to review his conviction. New Delhis response came after senior Pakistani officials contended Jadhav had refused to file an appeal in the Islamabad high court against the death sentence given by a military court. The Pakistani officials had also said Jadhav preferred to follow up his pending mercy petition. ICJ had ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan had violated Jadhavs rights under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and stayed his execution while calling on Islamabad to take all steps for an effective review and reconsideration of his sentence, including enacting appropriate legislation. The Pakistan foreign ministrys statement said the country remains committed to fully implementing the ICJs judgment of July 17, 2019 and hoped that India will cooperate with the Pakistan court in giving full effect to the said judgement. India has pushed for the full implementation of ICJs judgment and sought unimpeded access to Jadhav to discuss his remedies under the new Pakistani ordinance. Pakistan also rejected numerous requests from India for free and unimpeded access to Jadhav. India has also repeatedly asked for a lawyer from outside Pakistan to be allowed to appear for Jadhav in any review proceedings but Islamabad has denied this. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON "Congoleum is EBITDA-positive and growing, but we must achieve a more viable capital structure," said Congoleum CEO Chris OConnor. " Today's reorganization announcement represents a decisive, positive step that will strengthen our position for future prosperity. Congoleum, one of America's oldest resilient flooring manufacturers, founded in 1886, today announced that it has initiated voluntary reorganization proceedings in the District of New Jersey under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Company intends to use the court process to pursue a financial restructuring designed to reduce its current debt load, maximize value and position the Company for long-term success. Congoleum plans to continue operating in the ordinary course of business, under the court's supervision, and remains committed to being the consumer-centric Company that has shaped the resilient flooring industry for more than a century. "Congoleum is EBITDA-positive and growing, but we must achieve a more viable capital structure," said Congoleum CEO Chris OConnor. " Today's reorganization announcement represents a decisive, positive step that will strengthen our position for future prosperity. Over the past 134 years, Congoleum has earned the distinction of being one of the most respected and well-recognized national flooring brands. We will continue serving our customers, employees and other stakeholders, operating business as usual throughout this process." Congoleum has a long and storied history as a market-leader driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and committed to excellence in design, quality and innovation. The invention of in-register embossing for sheet goods, introducing the worlds first rigid and groutable LVT and most recently the launch of its patented, digitally printed, PVC-free Cleo family of products are but a few of the innovations that have not only driven the industry forward but have quite literally changed the way the world sees resilient flooring. Despite our numerous achievements during the past several years, the Company remains saddled with high legacy debt and increasing costs associated with running the business. As the industry adapts to changes in product mix, import vs. domestic production, and rising operating costs, these contributing factors make the current level of debt unsustainable, OConnor explained. For the last few months, we have engaged in discussions with our lenders to evaluate a range of potential strategic plans for the Company. Ultimately, we determined that the best way to protect the Company, for the benefit of all stakeholders, is to reorganize through this court-supervised process." Stressing that it is "business as usual" at Congoleum, OConnor noted that the Company had proactively filed expected motions as part of the court-supervised process and intends to work closely with creditors, customers and employees to identify value-maximizing restructuring plans that will benefit all stakeholders. "Congoleum is a heritage American brand that has been in business since 1886," OConnor said. "We have a very tenured workforce of more than 300 people who live and breathe our values of teamwork, quality and creative problem solving. I am extremely confident and optimistic about our future." For additional information about the reorganization, please visit: http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov or https://cases.primeclerk.com/congoleum/Home-Index. About Congoleum Since 1886 Congoleum Corporation has been committed to developing innovative flooring products that push the industry forward. Congoleum holds numerous patents for novel creations over the years, and these patents have resulted in products that are like no others in the industry. Congoleum manufactures residential and commercial resilient products that are engineered with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and that demonstrate Congoleums quality and design leadership. With more than 5,000 retailers selling Congoleum products across North America, Congoleum is proud of its strong and iconic past, energized by the future and as always, unwavering in its commitment to quality, design and innovation. Six police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were suspended on Thursday for beating up a Dalit couple for resisting an anti-encroachment drive in Madhya Pradeshs Guna district on Tuesday. The couple also consumed pesticides in protest and are in hospital, where the district administration said they are out of danger. The incident provoked outrage after a video went viral. An ugly situation was created due to Rajkumar Ahirwar and his wife [Savitri] consuming pesticide during anti-encroachment drive initiated by the revenue department on July 14. Sub-inspector Ashok Singh Kushwah was sent to maintain law and order. However, a video went viral regarding the use of force by the police team. Hence, the police personnel who were present on the spot are being suspended given their suspected role in the use of force, Guna police superintendent Tarun Nayak said in an order, a copy of which has been seen by HT. Apart from Kushwah, the others suspended were Rajendra Sharma, Pawan Yadav, Narendra Rawat, Neetu Yadav, and Rani Raghuvanshi, , all constables at the Cantonment police station, Guna. The police personnel also assaulted Ahirwars brother, Shishupal. Ahirwars mother, Geeta Bai, said they repeatedly requested the police team to let them stay until they harvested their crop. She said police did not listen to them, abused, and beat them. The district administration says the four-acre land was earmarked for a government college and the state government released 12 crore to begin the buildings construction a year ago. But a local strongman, Babbu Pardi, encroached upon the land and rented it out to the Ahirwars for farming illegally. The Ahirwars say they took a loan of R3 lakh and paid Pardi to grow crops on the land. The state government on Wednesday announced a high-level inquiry into the incident and transferred Guna collector S Vishwanathan, Nayak, and inspector general (Gwalior zone) Raja Babu Singh. Vishwanathan had earlier defended the police action, saying the local residents resisted the polices anti-encroachment drive. Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted: The Guna SP and Collector have been removed, and inquiry has been sought into the incident. I am confident that action will be taken against all those who are responsible for this heinous act. In a tweet on Wednesday, Scindia said: Guna incident is unfortunate. I had a discussion with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and requested him to take action against insensitive and irresponsible officials. Taking a serious note of the incident the CM has ordered shifting of Guna collector and SP. The opposition Congress attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government as the video of the assault went viral on social media on Wednesday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted the video on Twitter and said: Our fight is against this ideology and injustice. The Congress said a party delegation will visit Guna on Friday and submit a report on the incident to state party chief Kamal Nath. The delegation will gather facts about the incident, said Congress leader Chandraprabhash Shekhar. He added the delegation will include former minister Bala Bachchan. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati condemned the incident and demanded immediate action against the guilty. Forcing a Dalit couple to attempt suicide by destroying their crops is extremely cruel and extremely shameful. The state government must take strict action against the guilty. State home minister Narottam Mishra said the law and order situation is fine in the state. We immediately removed the IG, SP, and collector when we came to know about the incident. A high-level inquiry is going on. The state government will also provide all possible help to the family. (With input from Yogendra Lumba in Guna) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON LONDON - Hackers linked to a Russian intelligence service are trying to steal information from researchers working to produce coronavirus vaccines in the United States, Britain and Canada, security officials in those countries said Thursday. The hackers, who belong to a unit known variously as APT29, "the Dukes" or "Cozy Bear," are targeting vaccine research and development organizations in the three countries, the officials said in a joint statement. The unit is one of the two Russian spy groups that penetrated the Democratic Party's computers in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. "It is completely unacceptable that the Russian intelligence services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. The announcement comes as reported coronavirus cases globally have topped 13.5 million, deaths have surpassed the half-million mark, and the stakes for being first to develop a vaccine are high. Officials did not divulge whether any of the Russian efforts have been successful, but, they said, the intention is clear. "APT29 has a long history of targeting governmental, diplomatic, think tank, health-care and energy organizations for intelligence gain, so we encourage everyone to take this threat seriously and apply the mitigations issued in the advisory," said Anne Neuberger, cybersecurity director for the U.S. National Security Agency. Moscow has denied the allegations. "We have no information on who could have hacked pharmaceutical companies and research centers in Britain," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Tass state news agency. "We can only say this: Russia has nothing to do with these attempts." U.S. officials say a desire for global prestige and influence also is driving nations' actions. "Whatever country's or company's research lab is first to produce that [vaccine] is going to have a significant geopolitical success story," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said earlier this year. Canada's Communications Security Establishment, responsible for gathering foreign signals intelligence and the Canadian equivalent of the NSA, said the attacks "serve to hinder response efforts at a time when health-care experts and medical researchers need every available resource to help fight the pandemic." A CSE bulletin said that a Canadian biopharmaceutical company was breached by a foreign actor in mid-April, "almost certainly attempting to steal its intellectual property." The agency also said in May that it was investigating possible security breaches at Canadian organizations working on coronavirus-related research, but did not indicate whether the alleged breaches were state-sponsored. "We've seen some compromises in research organizations that we've been helping to mitigate," Scott Jones, head of the CSE's Cyber Center, told a parliamentary committee. "We're still continuing to look through what's the root cause of those." More for you European police hacked secret phone network, used AI for major bust The joint announcement comes two months after the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned that China was also targeting covid-19 research, and that health-care, pharmaceutical and research labs should take steps to protect their systems. "It's not unusual" to see "cyber activity" traced to China soon after a pharmaceutical company or research institution makes an announcement about promising vaccine research, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said last week. "It's sometimes almost the next day." Attorney General William P. Barr said Thursday that Beijing, "desperate for a public relations coup," is perhaps hoping "to claim credit for any medical breakthroughs." The "biggest thing to keep in mind is Russia's not alone," said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis for the cybersecurity firm FireEye. "We've seen Iranian and Chinese actors targeting pharmaceutical companies and research organizations involved in the covid-19 response. This is an existential threat to almost every government on Earth and we can expect that tremendous resources have been diverted from other tasks to focus on this virus." U.S. officials say Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks The Russian hacker group scanned computer IP addresses owned by the organizations and then deployed malware to try to gain access, officials with Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said. In some cases, the hackers used custom malware known as "WellMess" and "WellMail" to conduct further operations on a victim's system, British officials said. Paul Chichester, director of operations at the NCSC, said in a statement that APT29 launched "despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic." The World Health Organization reports that of the more than 160 vaccines being developed, 23 have begun clinical trials in humans - including top candidates being developed by academics, national laboratories and pharmaceutical companies in Britain, Canada and the United States. Russia is developing 26 vaccines, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday, but only two are undergoing clinical trials. A month-long trial on 38 people for one of the vaccines concluded this week. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the country's sovereign wealth fund, told reporters that a larger trial with several thousand people is expected to begin in August. "We will produce 30 million doses of the vaccine in Russia, or 50 million if necessary, which means that Russia may complete vaccinations early next year," Dmitriev said. Alongside their legitimate efforts, the Russians are probably cheating, Western analysts say. "I have absolutely no doubt that if there was the slightest probability of stealing it, the Russians would do it," said Jonathan Eyal, international director at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. "Mr. Putin has not had a good pandemic," Eyal said. "He has devolved the handling of it to regional governments to try and escape responsibility. He's nowhere to be seen. The figures about the numbers who have died are clearly manipulated." The Russian hacking group APT29 is well known to cyber experts. U.S. intelligence officials say it is part of the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service. That outfit hacked the White House and State Department email systems in 2014. It also infiltrated the Democratic National Committee servers in summer 2015, many months before the Russian military spy agency GRU did, investigators said. The GRU funneled hacked emails to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which released them online, in an attempt to sow discord in the party. The SVR, by contrast, hacked the party's servers apparently for classic espionage purposes - to glean insights into the plans and policies of the potential next U.S. president. "They quietly steal information from their targets, and if you are hit by this actor, you may never know it," Hultquist said. "We're talking about an intelligence collection operation where Russia quietly leverages the research of others to advance their own." How the Russians hacked the DNC and passed its emails to WikiLeaks Britain's Raab also told a parliamentary intelligence committee Thursday that "Russian actors" sought to interfere in the United Kingdom's 2019 general election by acquiring unpublished documents used in trade talks between the U.S. and Britain, and then leaking the material via social media. "Sensitive government documents relating to the U.K.-U.S. Free Trade Agreement were illicitly acquired before the 2019 General Election and disseminated online via the social media platform Reddit," Raab said in a written statement to Parliament. The foreign secretary added, "It is almost certain that Russian actors sought to interfere in the 2019 General Election through the online amplification of illicitly acquired and leaked Government documents." Moscow called the charges of election interference "unfounded." "The British administration is making the same anti-Russian mistake again and thus not only further undermining bilateral relations with Moscow, but also its own authority," Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian State Duma's foreign affairs committee, told reporters Thursday, according to the Interfax news agency. "Raab is using the phrase 'highly likely' again," Slutsky said. "That is, a criminal case is again being initiated on the basis of 'highly likely,' in the absence of specific evidence, which the head of the Foreign Office admits. What happened to the presumption of innocence? Where is the evidence?" After the trade documents emerged online, they were used during the December 2019 election by the opposition Labour Party and its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party of preparing to "sell off" precious access to the National Health Service to U.S. companies. The charges were a hot-button issue at the time but did not change the outcome: Johnson won the election in a landslide. A much-delayed report into allegations of wider Russian interference in Britain's democracy is due next week. --- Booth reported from London and Coletta from Toronto. The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan in Moscow, Karla Adam in London and Adam Taylor in Washington contributed to this report. Ever since mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic started disrupting the way bars and restaurants do business, owners and managers have had to adapt to frequent changes in the rules of operation. Not to mention different phases. On Thursday, there was a new sense of frustration as Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued new and different rules for service at bars. The new directives require that all alcohol sales be accompanied by food, and prohibit patrons from ordering directly from the bar (they must be served in their seats). Those are in addition to existing rules on wearing masks, social distancing and the 50% limit on occupancy. I understand what he (Cuomo) is trying to do to control this thing, said Pat Cregg, owner of Swallows bar on South Avenue. But I hope he understands what this means. To provide that service, Id either have to double my staff and make a lot less money, or just shut down. Bar owners also say the rules are often unclear. For example, what counts as food? A bag of potato chips or a full dinner? The rules are constantly in motion and all that does is it creates more gray areas, said Rob Podfigurny, of The Evergreen in Syracuses Hanover Square. Its hard to keep up. At The Hops Spot in Armory Square, managing partner Matt Bartelson was trying to digest the new directives Thursday. To illustrate the lack of clarity, he said, staff there thought the existing rules already prohibited ordering at the bar. I dont know were we doing it right before? he said. Are we doing it right now? Its a common question. A lot of places, 75% Id say, want to do the right thing,' said Bud Loura, a bar and restaurant consultant with his own company, RestaurantQB.com. But then the rules dont make and sense and how are you supposed to know what to do? Beyond that, Central New York bar operators also tend to think the latest rules are a reaction to complaints and violations that are happening more often in New York City and its suburbs. Cuomo said today the state has been flooded with complaints. I mean, why are we paying for Downstate? said Will Minney, owner of Wild Wills Saloon in Syracuses Hanover Square. Thats what it seems like. Still, many places are trying to make the best of it. When The Evergreen reopened last month for limited indoor and outdoor dining, it replaced its old model of ordering food from a window. Now it uses traditional table service. So, for us, thats good because were already in that model, Podfigurny said. Weve gone to a model that is more about the dining out experience than just coming in for a beer. I feel bad for smaller places that havent made that kind of adjustment, or cant. Wild Wills, though at heart a small, old-fashioned neighborhood bar, did make that adjustment. Weve got plenty of outdoor seating and were serving the tables, so well be alright, Minney said. At Swallows, the model has always been that customers order their food and their drinks on their own, with no table service. Every place is different, Cregg said. Thats why its hard to understand these rules and apply them to the way we operate. What works in one place may not work every place. MORE ON FOOD AND DRINKS Armory Square street to close for traffic, open for outdoor dining this weekend No more alcohol without food at NY bars and rstaurants, Cuomo says Whats a PARKlet? The latest idea for expanded outdoor dining in Syracuse Syracuse Downtown Dining Weeks to make special summer appearance Winery, brewery, and distillery tasting rooms: Open, but different Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. More retail chains are requiring masks nationwide to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Target announced Thursday it will require customers all customers to wear face coverings beginning Aug. 1; exceptions will be made for those with underlying conditions and young children. The company says it will provide disposable masks at store entrances for guests who do not have one. According to Target Corp., more than 80% of its stores already have mask requirements due to local and state regulations. The company has also already required its employees to wear masks. Kohls, BJs and CVS Pharmacy similarly announced that masks covering the nose and face at all times will be required in stores nationwide beginning Monday, July 20. With the recent spike in Covid-19 infections, were joining others in taking the next step and requiring all customers to wear face coverings when entering any of our stores throughout the country effective Monday, July 20, CVS said in a statement. The use of a facial covering does not replace social distancing guidelines. All posted safety measures, including social distancing and the requirement of a facial covering, should continue to be adhered to while shopping, BJs said. KTSP reports Kohls said it would offer new limited-contact store drive-up service, among other options, for customers who do not want to shop in stores. Other retailers are also offering pickup or delivery services. The moves come after Walmart, Sams Club, Best Buy, Starbucks, Kroger and other businesses announced face coverings would be required at all stores nationwide. Walmart, the nations largest retailer, said its policy will go into effect Monday and workers will be stationed near entrances to remind customers of the new requirements. The Associated Press reports the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which represents Walmart and other major chains, sent a letter to governors requesting states mandate store customers wear masks. The organization said differing rules in different states have created confusion and conflicts between customers and workers trying to enforce store rules, on top of Covid-19 concerns as cases spike in many states, including Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. The National Retail Federation issued a statement Wednesday encouraging all businesses to adopt a nationwide policy on face coverings. Workers serving customers should not have to make a critical decision as to whether they should risk exposure to infection or lose their jobs because a minority of people refuse to wear masks in order to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus, the NRF said. More than 35 states now require face coverings in public settings as coronavirus cases top 3.4 million in the U.S. As of Thursday, more than 137,000 deaths have been reported. Dr. Robert Redfield, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the U.S. could get coronavirus under control in less than two months if everyone wears face masks. If we all rigorously did this, we could really bring this outbreak back to where it needs to be, the CDC director said Tuesday. I think if we can get everybody to wear a mask right now, I really do think over the next four to six, eight weeks, we can bring this epidemic under control. The CDC recommends people wear cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who dont live in your household, especially when social distancing isnt possible. Cloth face coverings help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the cloth face covering coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources First Covid-19 vaccine tested in US poised for final testing No more alcohol without food at NY bars, restaurants, Cuomo says Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp bans cities, counties from requiring masks amid coronavirus Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and earn a $40 gift card! It is a pleasure to report that the Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) is up 59% in the last quarter. But in truth the last year hasn't been good for the share price. The cold reality is that the stock has dropped 37% in one year, under-performing the market. See our latest analysis for Discover Financial Services To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. Unfortunately Discover Financial Services reported an EPS drop of 17% for the last year. The share price decline of 37% is actually more than the EPS drop. So it seems the market was too confident about the business, a year ago. The less favorable sentiment is reflected in its current P/E ratio of 7.46. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Discover Financial Services' earnings, revenue and cash flow. What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? We've already covered Discover Financial Services' share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Dividends have been really beneficial for Discover Financial Services shareholders, and that cash payout explains why its total shareholder loss of 35%, over the last year, isn't as bad as the share price return. Story continues A Different Perspective While the broader market gained around 11% in the last year, Discover Financial Services shareholders lost 35% (even including dividends) . Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 1.1% 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. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Discover Financial Services , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Discover Financial Services is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Michigan reported 891 more confirmed cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, July 15, its highest number since mid-May when the daily report included a backlog of cases. The state also reported four new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday. Wednesdays number is the highest daily number since 1,191 cases were reported on May 14. However, the May 14 report included a backlog of cases from a commercial lab, state officials said at the time. Excluding that situation, the last time the daily case report was that high was April 29. In total, Michigan has reported 71,197 confirmed cases and 6,085 deaths linked to COVID-19. Health officials recommend looking at seven-day moving averages to evaluate data trends during the pandemic. The state is averaging 526 new cases, and 11 new deaths per day. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. As of Wednesday,the states hospital systems were treating 415 coronavirus patients, up from 388 on Monday. There are currently 109 on ventilators, down slightly from 113. About 72% of in-patient hospital beds were reported occupied in total, which is unchanged. Browser does not support frames. Twenty-six of Michigans 83 counties reported no new cases on Monday. Wayne County had the most new cases in Wednesdays report with 199 followed by Oakland (177), Macomb (113), Kent(71), Washtenaw (34), Genesee (32), Ottawa (32), Berrien (16) and Monroe (16). Heres a look at the five Michigan counties with the most confirmed cases. 1. Wayne County: 24,525 cases (2,762 deaths) 2. Oakland County: 13,022 cases (1,110 deaths) 3. Macomb County: 8,037 cases (929 deaths) 4. Kent County: 6,061 cases (145 deaths) 5. Genesee County: 2,986 cases (291 deaths) Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Of the 33,821 tests processed on Tuesday, 1,194 -- or 3.5% -- came back positive for COVID-19. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. 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. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. Read more on MLive: Whitmer orders mask use in Michigan, violators could be fined up to $500 Pronto Pups owner issues social media rant against coronavirus masks and Black Lives Matter Pfizer coronavirus vaccines being manufactured in Michigan get FDAs fast track status Michigan already has more coronavirus cases in July than all of June; track the trend in your county Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 23:56:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi health authorities decided Thursday to reduce partial curfew hours and ease some restriction measures, while the Health Ministry reported 2,281 new COVID-19 cases. The Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by the Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, decided in a statement that the partial curfew hours will start from 9:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) to 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) as of the coming week, except for the full curfew days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On June 29, the committee imposed a partial curfew from 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) to 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) for the remaining four days every week. The committee also decided to completely lift the curfew after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which is expected to end in the early days of August according to the Islamic lunar calendar, the statement said. The committee decisions also included reopening the airports for the flights starting from July 23, in addition to reopening two crossing border points with neighboring Iran and one with Kuwait for commercial exchange, according to the statement. Meanwhile, a statement by the Health Ministry said that 2,281 new COVID-19 cases were detected during the day, bringing the total number of infections to 86,148 across the country. The ministry reported 90 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 3,522. It also said that 1,695 people recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 54,316. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic. China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic. From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad. Since March 7, China has sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem Suriname, a small country in South America, recently created history by ending dictatorial rule and elected Chan Santokhi, an Indian-origin former police chief, as its new president. In May, Santokhi had won in the general elections, beating his rival Desi Bouterse. Suriname Herald Who is Chan Santokhi? Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi, who is 61, leads the country's Progressive Reform Party. Born in Suriname, which is a former Dutch colony, he studied at the police academy in the Netherlands. After his return to Suriname, he became a police inspector and in 1991 was named chief of police. From 2005 to 2010 he served as minister of justice. He ran for the presidency in 2010 but lost to Bouterse. Suriname Herald Bouterse was re-elected to a second term in 2015 and was confident of winning a third consecutive term in elections in May but it was Santokhi's party which emerged victorious. The Progressive Reform Party won 20 of the 51 seats in the National Assembly, enough to form a coalition government with the General Liberation and Development Party. The latter is led by Ronnie Brunswijk, who will serve as vice-president. Suriname Herald Santokhi, better known as Chan, will inherit a devastated economy in the South American nation of about 600,000 people. The new ruling coalition has said it needs to determine what the country owes its creditors, and analysts say it may need to work out a debt rescheduling plan with the International Monetary Fund something that could require a potentially unpopular phasing out of fuel, water and electricity subsidies. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 12:12:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The final of the 13th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for middle school students in Laos had been held online from July 10 to July 13, the Chinese Embassy to Laos told Xinhua Thursday. The competition, co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy to Laos and the Liaobei School, a Chinese school in Muang Xay, and several Chinese schools, was themed with "Chasing Chinese Dreams, Seize the Day." With the guidance and support from the Chinese embassy, the contest, overcoming the unfavorable internet conditions, was carried out through live video and video clips to ensure order and fairness, a press release from the Chinese embassy said, adding that the contestants had shown their full enthusiasm. Altogether 15 middle school students from seven Chinese schools in Laos competed through speech, knowledge quiz and talent show, demonstrating their Chinese language skill and understanding of the Chinese culture. The winner of the contest, Wang Yanqi from Vientiane's Liewtou Chinese school, will represent the Lao middle school students to compete in the "Chinese Bridge" semi-final and final contests. Enditem The video captures an apparent lack of urgency to render aid to Floyd for long minutes after he stopped moving. Body-camera footage made public Wednesday from two Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyds arrest captured a panicked and fearful Floyd pleading with the officers in the minutes before his death, saying Im not a bad guy! as they tried to wrestle him into a squad car. Im not that kind of guy, Floyd says as he struggles against the officers. I just had COVID, man, I dont want to go back to that. An onlooker pleads with Floyd to stop struggling, saying, You cant win! Floyd replies, I dont want to win! A few minutes later, with Floyd now facedown on the street, the cameras record his fading voice, still occasionally saying, I cant breathe before he goes still. Four now former police officers were charged in the days following the killing of George Floyd on May 25. From left: Derek Chauvin, who placed his knee on Floyds neck and J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao [Hennepin County Sheriffs Office/via AP Photo] Though transcripts of the footage were released earlier, the video itself is the fullest public view yet of Floyds interaction with the officers who were later charged in his death. It also captures an apparent lack of urgency to render aid to Floyd for long minutes after he stopped moving. The recordings from officers Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng are part of the criminal case against them and two other officers in Floyds May 25 death in the United States. Derek Chauvin, who held his knee against Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes, is charged with second-degree murder. Lane, Kueng and another officer, Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting. All four officers were fired the day after Floyd died. Journalists and members of the public were allowed to view the footage Wednesday by appointment. Judge Peter Cahill, without explanation, has declined to allow publication of the video. The footage shows the officers view of a death already widely seen on a bystanders mobile phone video, which set off tumultuous protests in Minneapolis that quickly spread around the world and sparked a national reckoning on race and policing. Floyd appears distraught from the moment officers ask him to step out of his vehicle near a south Minneapolis corner grocery, where he was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. When Floyd did not immediately display his hands, Lane pulled his gun, leading Floyd to say he had been shot before. Protesters gathering at the scene where George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the US [File: Eric Miller/Reuters] [Daylife] Floyds hands are soon handcuffed behind his back, and he grows more anxious, telling the officers that hes claustrophobic and pleading with them not to put him in the back of a squad car. In the struggle, Floyd loses a shoe. What appears to be Chauvins chest-mounted body camera winds up underneath the squad car, and Floyd eventually winds up on the pavement with the officers holding him down. Chauvin and Kueng each grip one of Floyds handcuffed hands to hold them in position behind his back, with Kuengs knee appearing to press on Floyds bottom or just below. Lane is at Floyds feet. The officers sound clinical as the minutes tick by. I think hes passing out, one officer says. You guys all right, though? someone asks. Yeah good so far, says one. Another apparently Lane says: My knee might be a little scratched, but Ill survive. Kueng reaches out with a free hand to pull a pebble from the police SUVs tire tread and toss it to the street. Lane did not sound particularly worried the first time he asked Chauvin whether they should roll Floyd on his side and suggested that Floyd might be in delirium. People in the crowd can be heard expressing fear for Floyds condition, asking whether he had a pulse and was breathing. A couple of minutes later, Lane sounds a bit more concerned when he asks again about rolling Floyd onto his side. The officers go quiet but show no apparent urgency as Kueng checks for a pulse and says he cannot find one. Lanes camera shows him following an unresponsive Floyd on a stretcher into an ambulance, where EMTs instructed him to perform CPR. The video shows Lane performing constant chest compressions by hand with no visible results. The ambulance parks a few blocks away from the store for several minutes while Lane and the EMTs work on Floyd, rather than heading straight to the hospital, even though they all know that Floyd is in full cardiac arrest, as indicated by dispatcher audio. Christine Hill, a spokeswoman for Hennepin County Medical Center, the hospital that provided the ambulance, said she could not talk specifically about Floyds treatment because of medical privacy restrictions. But she said it is not unusual for paramedics to load a patient into an ambulance and move to a more secure location as they provide life-saving care. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump wearing a face mask with the words Wheres the love? after announcing on Wednesday the filing of a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the officers involved in the death of George Floyd [Jim Mone/AP Photo] A coalition of news organisations and attorneys for Lane and Kueng have said the court should allow the body-camera footage to be copied and published to provide a more complete picture of what happened when Floyd was taken into custody. The viewing of the video took place on the same day Floyd family attorney Ben Crump announced a lawsuit against the city and the police officers involved in Floyds death. The body camera videos and transcripts were filed in court last week by Lanes attorney, Earl Gray, as part of a request to have Lanes case dismissed. Gray said at the time that he wanted the videos to be made public, telling the Star Tribune that they would show the whole picture. Gray said the bystander video shows just the last piece of what happened and is not fair. Grays request highlighted portions of the body camera video that show Floyd actively resisting and acting erratic with officers. It also noted Floyds request to be put on the ground. Gray also argued that Lane did not have a clear view of what Chauvin was doing. Kuengs attorney, Tom Plunkett, has also asked that the video be made public. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 16 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 89 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, mortars and other artillery weapons. 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. Mumbai, July 16 : Actor Namit Das has shared the experience of playing a cop for the first time in his latest digital series, "Mafia". Sharing a photo that shows him in khaki, he posted on Instagram: "This was right after the first shot that I gave for #MAFIA as Nitin Kumar. Having never played a cop there was something undiscovered that I felt after i wore this uniform. I felt proud. There was a certain sense of responsibility. And all of this by just wearing the costume; playing a character that I will live only for the days that we were shooting. I look beyond and salute the work of all those who protect us." "Policemen, Army, Airforce, Naval for whom I am sure it goes beyond the uniform. It's not a character they play. It's the life they live & the life they know. A sense of gratitude descends. It's their sacrifice which knows no boundaries. Probably the reason why I live, I breathe & can think about a future. Thank you @birsadasgupta @rohan_ghose & @aritsen07 for letting me live Nitin. It did give me a flavour of what responsibility can feel like. In the politics of humanity we often forget the people who are most important. My sense of gratitude towards those who really matter," he wrote. "Mafia" is about six college buddies who reunite for a bachelorette party that turns into a game of whodunnit as the past returns to haunt them. In the psychological thriller, Namit plays Nitin Kumar, a Dalit from Bihar, who enters the police force to fight against the injustice meted out to his community. Arlene Foster has said she wants to build a positive, respectful North-South relationship as she prepares to welcome the Taoiseach on his first official visit to Northern Ireland. Micheal Martin will meet the First Minister and Deputy First Minister here today before holding separate meetings with the SDLP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance. Mrs Foster told the Belfast Telegraph: "We want to build a Northern Ireland where everyone feels at home and part of this community. "Our relationship with the Republic of Ireland is an integral part of this. We want to be good neighbours. We want a relationship based on respect and mutual benefit." Read More She stressed that she hoped to build a level of North-South co-operation which "benefits all our people". She said: "It should not be based on advancing constitutional politics but on mutual respect. "Whether it is on Covid-19, infrastructure, healthcare, tourism or education, we share a land border and it makes sense to co-operate for the benefit of people living in border regions." Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken MLA said: "We've built up quite strong links with Micheal Martin over the years, but now represents an opportunity to reset the North/South and East/West relationships that are vital for everyone on these Islands. "Much has been said about the approach of his predecessor, and that of the Foreign Minister, in their quite frankly tone-deaf approach to both Northern Ireland and unionist concerns. "This meeting today gives us the chance to work constructively again on matters that are important for us all." SDLP leader Colum Eastwood MP said a strong North-South relationship was essential. "We need to work more closely than ever to chart a course through the Covid-19 pandemic, the end of the Brexit transition and the climate crisis," he said. "The SDLP worked to secure a shared island unit in the new Irish government and I'm looking forward to working with our new Taoiseach to deliver for people in all our communities." Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry MP said: "We look forward to meeting Micheal Martin in his new role as Taoiseach. "We will be keen to discuss a number of issues. "They include collaboration of responses to Covid-19, preparation for Brexit, justice co-operation and how North-South relations and an all-island economy can be further developed, in areas such as infrastructure and renewable energy." Meanwhile, the Taoiseach has said he was left with "no alternative" but to sack Barry Cowen after he refused to make a statement to the Dail. The former agriculture minister was sacked on Tuesday after he refused to provide further public statements on his 2016 drink-driving offence. Former chief whip Dara Calleary has been appointed Agriculture Minister. Instagram confirmed it's preparing to soon launch its TikTok competitor, known as Reels, in the U.S. The company expects to bring the new video feature -- which is designed specifically for short-form, creative content -- to its platform in early August, according to a spokesperson. The U.S. launch comes shortly after Reels' arrival in India this month, following a ban of TikTok in that market. Reels has also been tested in Brazil, France, and Germany. NBC News reported this morning Instagram would arrive in the U.S. and more than 50 other countries in a matter of weeks, citing sources familiar with the matter. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the U.S. (and international) launch, saying "Were excited to bring Reels to more countries, including the U.S., in early August," without providing specific details of which further markets will be added. "The community in our test countries has shown so much creativity in short-form video, and we've heard from creators and people around the world that they're eager to get started as well," the spokesperson added. Reels was designed to directly challenge TikTok's growing dominance. In a new area in the Instagram app, Reels allows users to create and post short, 15-second videos set to music or other audio, similar to TikTok. Also like TikTok, Reels offers a set of editing tools like a countdown timer and tools to adjust the videos speed, for example that aim to make it easier to record creative content. Instagram, however, doesnt have the same sort of two-tabbed, scrollable feed, like TikTok offers today. The move to more quickly roll out Reels to more markets comes as TikTok has come under intense scrutiny for its ties to China. India banned the app, along with 58 other mobile applications designed by Chinese firms, in June. The Trump administration more recently said it was considering a similar ban on TikTok, for reasons related to national security. Yesterday, it said such a decision could be just weeks away. Story continues Since the news of a possible ban hit, other TikTok rivals got a boost in the charts, including Byte, Triller, Dubsmash, and Likee, for example. Snapchat also began testing TikTok-like navigation for its public video content, and YouTube is running a smaller test of its own. Because of Instagram's reach, it has a shot at stepping in to pick up tens of millions of U.S. users if TikTok disappears. But TikTok users may not jump en masse to a single new app if a ban takes place. Already there are signs of the TikTok community splintering -- dancers prefer apps like Dubsmash and Triller, while young Gen Z'ers like Byte, for example. No exact launch date for Instagram Reels in the U.S. was provided. Quebec holds first Arrima draw since January Details of Quebecs June 18 invitation round have been released Quebec holds first Arrima draw since January Details of Quebecs June 18 invitation round have been released Quebec holds first Arrima draw since January Details of Quebecs June 18 invitation round have been released Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Pour lire cet article en francais, cliquez ici. Quebecs Ministry of Immigration, Francization, and Integration (MIFI) has released details of the second draw of 2020, which took place six months after the first. On June 18, Quebec invited seven candidates to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). These candidates were either except from the cap that had been in place when they first applied to the Regular Skilled Worker Program or they were residing in Quebec on a study or work permit on June 16, 2019 when about 16,000 Regular Skilled Worker Program applications were cancelled with the introduction of Bill 9. The Government of Quebec previously stated in August 2019 that rounds of invitations for these candidates were to take place until January 16, 2020. Yet this draw of seven people still included candidates that were affected by Bill 9. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs In order to be invited, candidates needed to have filed an expression of interest with MIFI before December 17, 2019. They also needed to be either a temporary resident of Quebec when they applied, or hold a work or study permit in the province at the time. In order to immigrate to Quebec under the Regular Skilled Worker Program, candidates must first submit an Expression of Interest through Arrima. MIFI will then review the bank of profiles and issue invitations to those who meet specific criteria based on the labour market needs of Quebec. What is Arrima? Arrima was introduced in 2018 to manage the bank of candidates for the Regular Skilled Worker Program after the program was switched from a paper-based first-come, first-served application approach to an Expression of Interest system. Quebecs EOI system manages the bank of candidates for the CSQ, which is required in order to apply for permanent residence in the province through the Regular Skilled Worker Program. Candidates express their interest by creating a profile in Arrima, which is then placed in the pool of candidates and ranked based on either a score or other criteria. Quebecs immigration ministry issues invitations to apply for a CSQ based on either a candidates score or other factors such as labour needs in the provinces regions. If you received an invitation to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate, you may email qcita@canadavisa.com to learn about the next steps regarding your application Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Surging coronavirus infections. Bars and gyms forced to reshut their doors. Talk of new layoffs. The economy's check-engine light is blinking red again. As lawmakers return to work next week to debate a new stimulus package with a price tag in the trillions, the summer Covid-19 sequel is playing a lot like the spring original. The urgency this time isnt so much to cushion the economic blow, but to keep the nascent economic recovery on track. The worrying data points are accumulating: California, accounting for nearly 15 percent of the national economy, abruptly shut down many businesses on Monday, following new closures in eight other states. The number of Americans who say they're unemployed has risen over the past three weeks, the Census Bureau has said. And leaders of some the nations largest companies warned this week that theyre bracing for a longer, more painful recession than they initially expected. The concern now is that as Covid-19 cases rise around the country we might be headed into a roller coaster recovery, where rolling waves of outbreaks crash against the economy, Glassdoor Senior Economist Daniel Zhao told POLITICO. Data from the recruiting website found that new job listings dropped 5.5 percent at the end of June and early into July. Its a sign that the recovery is stalling, which is alarming, Zhao added. How Congress acts in the coming days could determine both the length of the recession and the outcome of the November election if voters head to the polls in an economy that continues to be worse than anything seen since the Great Depression. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said a new package will come together in the next three weeks. With the new signs of economic trouble, Republicans have signaled they may be willing to expand that package to include more federal jobless aid. Democrats are seizing on the moment to push for an extension of emergency unemployment benefits that are due to expire at the end of July. But Republicans and the Trump administration have opposed an extension of the aid at the current level of $600 per week, arguing that workers make more on unemployment programs than they would with their paycheck. Story continues We're sadly approaching the deadline for the expiration of the unemployment benefits, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a Wednesday news conference. Imagine the uncertainty in households across America now who depend on the unemployment insurance because through no fault of their own, they have lost their jobs because of this pandemic, and they have to wait and see what the Senate will decide. McConnell said Monday that the next package would have a "continued emphasis on jobs, meaning unemployment insurance for those who are unable to get back to work." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at a news conference on Wednesday. Official data is only starting to pick up the tremors of a new employment crisis. The unemployment rate has fallen over the last two months, but that doesnt reflect new shutdowns that began in the second half of June. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moodys Analytics, predicts job growth will be weaker in July than in June and May. The economy took a huge body blow and its still reeling, he said in an interview. And if the virus continues to intensify and we don't get some support from Congress and the administration soon, we will go back into recession, Zandi warned. New weekly unemployment claims have remained above 1 million for 17 weeks, nearly double the peak seen during the Great Recession. The Labor Department reported Thursday that 1.3 million workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, a small decline from the previous week. But that figure is seasonally adjusted to account for factors like the warmer weather and school schedules. The DOL estimated the number of actual initial claims filed last week was 1.5 million, which would be an increase of nearly 109,000 from the week before. In addition to that figure, another 928,000 individuals filed claims for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which was created in March for individuals not typically eligible for state programs including the self-employed and many workers in the gig economy. Jobless claims are also starting to pick up again in states like California, Florida, Arizona and Georgia, where Covid-19 cases have been on the rise. It looked like we were coming back, said Lee McPheters, director of Arizona State Universitys JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center, of Arizonas labor market. The May numbers were pretty strong, we added back about half the jobs we lost. And it seemed like there was, you know, kind of blue skies ahead. With business restrictions now in place in the state, McPheters said he expects Arizona will be going through another perhaps one to two months of very weak job growth, maybe job losses. Gov. Gavin Newsom this week barred most Californians from entering houses of worship, gyms and barbershops, in an effort to prevent months of progress on containing the virus from being erased. Any hope that Californias recovery would be quick and steep has fizzled as the pandemic numbers worsen and the brief psychological and economic lift of reopening has passed, said James Wilcox, an economist at the University of California, Berkeleys Haas School of Business. Many businesses from the tiniest mom and pop stores to the largest chains can survive getting knocked down once or maybe twice, he said, but theres a limit to how many months they can survive without operating at some reasonable level. When youre swimming underwater, two things count: depth and duration, Wilcox said. Florida saw its unemployment rate jump to 14.5 percent in May as the coronavirus shuttered the states tourist-based economy. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has said the situation has improved as the economy has begun to reopen, but in the last few weeks the state has seen a spike in coronavirus infections that is outpacing the rest of the nation. Florida now has more than 300,000 confirmed cases. Disney World in central Florida opened its doors over the weekend, joining other theme parks that also have reopened under new safety protocols. But the increased number of infections has led some local authorities to reimpose restrictions on restaurants. The DeSantis administration in late June told bars to stop serving alcohol on site. State economists are scheduled to meet Friday to begin work updating the Florida economic outlook. Texas also saw evidence of deterioration in economic conditions in the state in the second half of June, said Pia Orrenius, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. She cautioned that the immediate data is less reliable than other sources, but said that the rising number of new unemployment claims in the state suggest additional layoffs. Orrenius said it's too early to call it on the future of Texas labor market. Amid the new shutdowns, banks and some of Americas largest companies are already bracing for more economic pain. JPMorgan is preparing for double-digit unemployment through the first half of next year. "This is not a normal recession," CEO Jamie Dimon told reporters Tuesday, pointing to government assistance programs that have helped boost income and savings for consumers as well as home prices. "The recessionary part of this youre going to see down the road." In its second quarter earnings report released earlier this week, PepsiCo warned of plans for plant closures and layoffs through 2023. The company disclosed estimates that it will spend approximately $1.75 billion on "severance and other employee-related costs," a sign of job losses to come. While unemployment fell in May and June, permanent job losses more than quadrupled at the same time to 2.9 million, according to the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 18 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, and that number could soon increase: The number of workers reporting to the Census Bureau that theyre unemployed has risen by 2.6 million in the last three weeks. The numbers reflect an ongoing turnover as workers initially on furlough or temporary layoffs are informed that they won't be returning to work, economists say. In fact, 42 percent, or 11.6 million, of all jobs lost through April 25 due to Covid-19 will become permanent, according to research from the University of Chicagos Becker Friedman Institute. "It does, of course, appear that many people as they were laid off were told that if possible, their jobs would return," said Ryan Bourne, an economist with the Cato Institute. "But of course theres a huge range of uncertainty here. And I dont think any of us truly know what the economy is going to look like." Katy Murphy, Victoria Guida, Eleanor Mueller, Gary Fineout and Kellie Mejdrich contributed to this report. The proposed executive order, if signed by President Trump, could also allow for the U.S. government to strip visas from any party members and their family members already in the U.S., forcing their departures. The idea comes as relations between the two countries are at a low point, and China would most likely retaliate against Americans living in or trying to visit China. Prospects: Details of the plan have not been finalized, and Mr. Trump could ultimately reject it. Its legal justification would reside in the same statute of immigration law used in the administrations barring of arrivals from a number of predominantly Muslim countries. Who is affected? Many party members are not aligned with official ideology. There are academics, scientists and business leaders whose careers benefit from its network. Even some dissidents are members. Dr. Li Wenliang, who sounded the alarm in the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan before dying of Covid-19, was a party member. The routes of 35 adult female green turtles traveling to their foraging grounds in the Western Indian Ocean after the end of the nesting season on Diego Garcia, Chagos Archipelago. Turtles tracked in different years are indicated by different colors. Stars = final foraging site, crosses = turtles not tracked all the way to their foraging grounds. Credit: Nicole Esteban, Swansea University One of Charles Darwin's long-standing questions on how turtles find their way to islands has been answered thanks to a pioneering study by scientists. A team from Deakin University, University of Pisa and Swansea University equipped 33 green sea turtles with satellite tags and recorded unique tracks of green turtles migrating long distances in the Indian Ocean to small oceanic islands. The study provides some of the best evidence to date that migrating sea turtles have an ability to redirect in the open ocean, but only at a crude level rather than at fine scales. Seven turtles traveled only a few tens of kilometers to foraging sites on the Great Chagos Bank, six traveled over 4,000km to mainland Africa, one to Madagascar, while another two turtles ventured north to the Maldives. Most of the species tracked (17) migrated westward to distant foraging sites in the Western Indian Ocean that were associated with small islands. It shows that the turtles can travel several hundred kilometers off the direct routes to their goal before reorienting, often in the open ocean. In 1873, Charles Darwin marveled at the ability of sea turtles to find isolated islands where they nest. However, the details of how sea turtles, and other groups such as seals and whales, navigate during long migrations remains an open question. Animated tracks of 35 green turtle migrations tracked from nesting beaches in the Chagos Archipelago (Indian Ocean). The year of migration is indicated by colors; red = 2012, black = 2015, orange = 2017 and blue = 2018. Stars (n=33) indicate migration endpoints and incomplete migrations (n=2) are denoted by black crosses. Animation timing has been adjusted so that turtles from all years depart nesting beaches at the same time and migration duration in days is indicated by the counter in the lower right hand corner of the video frame. Of 35 equipped turtles, 33 were tracked all the way to their foraging grounds. The animation highlights the often circuitous routes of individual turtles. Credit: Nicole Esteban, Swansea University Answering this question using free-living individuals is difficult due to thousands of sea turtles being tracked to mainland coasts where the navigational challenges are easiest. The study also showed that turtles frequently struggled to find small islands, overshooting, and/or searching for the island in the final stages of migration. These satellite tracking results support the suggestion, from previous laboratory work, that turtles use a crude true navigation system in the open ocean, possibly using the world's geomagnetic field. Swansea University's Dr. Nicole Esteban, a co-author in the study said: "We were surprised that green turtles sometimes overshot their ultimate destination by several hundred kilometers and then searched the ocean for their target. Our research shows evidence that turtles have a crude map sense with open ocean reorientation." Explore further Aussie scientists turn to drones to protect sea turtles More information: Jeanne A. Mortimer et al. Estimates of marine turtle nesting populations in the south-west Indian Ocean indicate the importance of the Chagos Archipelago, Oryx (2020). Jeanne A. Mortimer et al. Estimates of marine turtle nesting populations in the south-west Indian Ocean indicate the importance of the Chagos Archipelago,(2020). DOI: 10.1017/S0030605319001108 JEFFERSON PARISH, La. When Tiffany McGee picked up her phone one Friday night in March, she received news no mother is prepared to hear. Her 14-year-old son, Tre'mall, had been shot and was at the hospital. Speeding across the bridge toward the east bank of Jefferson Parish, a New Orleans suburb, McGee prayed that her son was still breathing. When she arrived at the hospital, a doctor assured her Tre'mall was alive. A detective was also there. He told her she could not see her son that night but said little else, McGee recalled. She left the hospital thinking Tre'mall had been a victim of street violence. Only later that night, by accident, did she find out that the bullet that had cut through her son's shoulder and left arm had been fired by a deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. "No one said anything," McGee said. "No one spoke up to say an officer shot my child." Image: (Annie Flanagan / for NBC News) The public silence lasted months. Jefferson Parish authorities didn't publicly disclose that a deputy had shot a teenager until late June, more than three months later, when Sheriff Joe Lopinto was asked about the incident at a news conference. Since then, Lopinto has offered little more, saying the state's child privacy laws prevent his office from commenting on cases involving juveniles. He declined NBC News' request for an interview. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office's initial report on the incident, viewed by NBC News, describes in detail a pursuit of a car stolen days before and the search for the teens riding in it, but makes no mention of a deputy-involved shooting, or that anyone was taken to the hospital. Nearly four months after the shooting, the list of what Tiffany McGee still does not know runs long. The deputy's name. Those of the other officers. Why no one told her what happened that night. Whether anyone will be held to account. Tre'mall, too, has questions. "Why'd you shoot me, sir?" he said. "What's the point?" Story continues 'I thought we had honesty' Sheriffs hold extraordinary power in Louisiana, as across much of the South. They not only enforce law on the streets, but often run the jails, impose fines and collect taxes. They are accountable to their voters, who often re-elect them for decades, but are subject to far less oversight than many municipal police departments, experts say. Harry Lee, who was the sheriff in Jefferson Parish for 28 years and died in 2007, once described the job as the "closest thing there is to being a king." In the wake of national protests triggered by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, critics of the sheriff's office have grown louder, staging rallies in a parish unaccustomed to picketing and marches. They point to the failure to report the teen's shooting as emblematic of its lack of transparency, particularly when it comes to use of force against Black residents. "I thought we had honesty," said Gaylor Spiller, the head of the parish's NAACP chapter. "This 14-year-old boy that they kept hidden, it's very telling." While state law bars officials from naming children arrested and charged with nonviolent crimes, juvenile law experts said law enforcement across the state routinely share details of cases without naming them. The practice is similar in other states including New York, California and Ohio. "To deny the existence or not confirm a deputy shot someone in an arrest is gaslighting, pure and simple," said Hector Linares, a longtime juvenile public defense attorney now at Loyola University College of Law. "If the facts were favorable to them, they'd be shouting it." One of the state's largest and best resourced offices, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has its own crime lab, helicopter and a raft of military-grade equipment, including BearCat armored tanks it has rolled out in recent protests. But it has steadfastly refused to adopt body-worn cameras, now routine in the New Orleans Police Department, right next door. Lopinto says maintaining video on 300,000 calls a year, and 800 deputies, would cost millions. That's one reason questions linger about many of the use of force incidents in the majority-white parish, which have disproportionately left people of color dead. At least 12 men and boys have died during an arrest or pursuit by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office since 2015, according to an NBC News review of news articles and documents. All were Black or Latino. Three were under the age of 18. In a case with echoes of the killing of George Floyd, Keevan Robinson, 22, was asphyxiated in 2018 by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office narcotics officer who restrained him by "draping his shin over Robinson's neck," according to an investigation report by the sheriff's office, which found officers did not violate department policy. This week, the Jefferson Parish district attorney declined to bring charges against the officers. Experts caution that it's difficult to judge a case without all the facts. The question of whether a shooting is justified, much less criminal, can be answered only with a thorough investigation. "One little detail can change the whole picture," said Emanuel Kapelsohn, a use of force expert in Pennsylvania. But certain policies in the parish highlight the wide deference the sheriff's office gives to those who carry a badge. At least three of the 12 men died after Jefferson Parish deputies shot at a vehicle they said was moving toward them in a threatening manner, which is permitted under the agency's use of force policies, reviewed by NBC News. The sheriff's office did not respond to a detailed list of questions from NBC News about the McGee case, the 12 deaths, use of force policies and body-worn cameras. The New Orleans Police Department prohibits its officers from shooting from or at a moving vehicle unless its occupants are using deadly force other than the car itself. As part of a federal consent decree, the New Orleans Police Department also bars its officers from high-speed chases unless suspects are wanted for something violent, or their escape threatens someone else's life. Jefferson Parish has no such policy, which was one reason deputies encountered Tre'mall McGee that night in March. 'I got shot' The sheriff's office and the Jefferson Parish district attorney declined to comment on the events that led to Tre'mall's shooting, citing privacy restrictions. The following account was pieced together from interviews with the McGee family, the father of other boys there that night, accounts from their attorneys, conversations with neighbors and a review of documents. On the night of March 20, Tre'mall was hanging out with friends, including Ineis O'Quinn, 19, and his 16-year-old brother, Nijel Simmons. A friend picked them up in a black Nissan Maxima. Tre'mall said he did not know it had been stolen several days before. It was not clear if the others in the car were aware. As they were driving through the town of Westwego, they saw police lights in the rear view. The driver, Jacolby Simmons, 18, sped off, and deputies followed. The driver ultimately screeched to a halt. "Everybody started running," said Tre'mall. "So I ran." Tre'mall and Nijel hopped a fence into the backyard of a small home at the end of the block. Nijel hid under a shed. Tre'mall, who has no criminal record, was on his stomach, trying to crawl under the shed when officers arrived. Image: (Annie Flanagan / for NBC News) Image: (Annie Flanagan / for NBC News) Tre'mall remembers lights and yelling and men in uniforms, several of them standing near him. One deputy told him to stop moving, he recalled. Another told him to put his hands on his head. He was lifting his arm to comply, he said. "Next thing you know, I got shot." Deputies cuffed Tre'mall and dragged Nijel out from under the shed, said his father, Nathan O'Quinn. Ineis was arrested nearby. Jacolby fled the scene and was not arrested, authorities said. They put Nijel in a cruiser and sat Tre'mall on the curb to cut his shirt off, he recalled. He had wounds to his left shoulder blade and armpit, and through his left bicep, according to medical records and photos of his injuries. He knew he was alive, he said, but thought he would lose his arm. Tre'mall remembers the back of the ambulance, the mask over his face, and then it goes blank. The next thing he recalls, fuzzily, is the hospital room. 'Chasing ghosts' Tiffany McGee left the hospital without seeing her son that night, still thinking he'd been shot by a civilian. She called O'Quinn, the father of Ineis and Nijel. When she told him the news, he was frantic, she said, particularly about his youngest son, Nijel. They were thinking the worst, "that he's laying in the gutter somewhere." O'Quinn called his sons' phones, the jailhouse and the juvenile facility. He got no answers "We were chasing ghosts," he said. Using a locator app, Life360, the parents traced Tre'mall's phone to the Westwego police department, one of several within Jefferson Parish. McGee asked a deputy about their sons. After checking with colleagues inside, she said he emerged and told them it was a Jefferson Parish deputy who had fired the gun. "That's when we found out the police shot her son," O'Quinn said. "We didn't know." The following morning, McGee went to pick Tre'mall up at the juvenile lockup, which listed him on its paperwork as 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds. He was wearing hospital clothes, she said, and his left arm was in a sling, his white T-shirt stained red with blood near his left bicep. Image: (Annie Flanagan / for NBC News) She looked at Tre'mall, taller than her now but still with round cheeks underneath his fronds of dreadlocks. "I hate those moments of feeling helpless with my children," she said. "I'm supposed to be their superwoman." "Who shot you, son?" she recalled asking Tre'mall. "He said, 'It was the police.'" 'My son was shot by an officer' Tre'mall's shooting came just as Louisiana tumbled into the coronavirus pandemic. The day after he was released, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a stay-at-home order. Life went into limbo as the hospitals around New Orleans filled. The restaurant in the French Quarter where Tiffany McGee worked as a cook shut its doors. When the governor's order lifted, she took on a new job, a single mother playing the role of amateur detective to ferret out what happened to her son. She went to the sheriff's office, she said, to try to find her son's phone and make a complaint. She called Internal Affairs, the FBI and the Sheriff's Office, trying to get information as to what happened that night. On sticky notes and the back of envelopes, she saved the names and numbers. "I've called everyone I needed to call, but I'm not getting any answers," she said. "I'm getting the complete runaround." On May 27, two months after the incident, she returned to the sheriff's office. In a recording she says she made that day, provided to NBC News, the head of the shooting squad told her he hasn't heard of any shootings. "We haven't had any officer-involved shootings," the man said. "He was shot with a firearm, not a Taser?" "A firearm, sir," she told him. "My son has a bullet wound that's never going to go away. At 14 years old. My son was shot by an officer." A week later, she went back, trying again to speak to detectives and make a complaint. The video of George Floyd's final moments had just gone viral. Closer to home, people were talking about Modesto Reyes, 35, who was fatally shot by Jefferson Parish deputies two days prior. The detective she spoke with told her these things take time. "There's a lot of moving parts in these kinds of things, especially when it's either a homicide or a shooting or police involved shooting," he said in the audio recording she says she made that day. Only after that did she get a call from Steven Bradley, a detective who was assigned to the case. He asked her to bring Tre'mall in to give a statement. She took him in the next day. "I didn't hide behind an attorney," she said. "I came in on my own." Image: (Annie Flanagan / for NBC News) About two weeks later, she received a summons notifying her that the office of Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul D. Connick Jr. was charging Tre'mall with "resisting by flight." The office declined to comment on the case, citing the state's child privacy laws. McGee was incensed. "Before, you all didn't know nothing about the shooting," she said later. "Now you guys want to try to charge him?" Nijel Simmons, 16, was also charged with "resisting by flight," though his attorneys said prosecutors are reconsidering those charges. The district attorney's office told NBC News it did not bring charges against Ineis O'Quinn, 19, "because of insufficient evidence." A warrant is out for the arrest of Jacolby Simmons, 18, authorities said. He's wanted on charges of resisting an officer and possession of stolen property, records show. "THERE'S NOTHING THAT WAS HIDDEN" On June 23, Sheriff Lopinto held a press conference to address news swirling about the Reyes shooting, which had become a rallying call for some of the protests unfolding around New Orleans. Tre'mall's name had surfaced at protests as well, after an article about his case appeared in Youth Today, a nonprofit news outlet focused on youth, and in the local press. Tre'mall's shooting happened in the first week of COVID-19, Lopinto explained. An email should have gone out, he said, and all deputy-involved shootings would be announced going forward. "There's nothing that was hidden," he said. Lopinto added that he didn't know if the media had reported the story or not. "It wasn't something that was on my mind back then." He said that his office was investigating the incident. Lopinto also accused the McGee family of hiding behind the lawyers who recently took the family's case, who also represent the Reyes family. "That kid was in the backyard," Lopinto said. "He knows what happened. Come in and give a statement." But Tre'mall had, nearly three weeks prior. "Lopinto is so eager to say that shooting a 14 year old was justified, he doesn't even know that the child had been cooperating," said Christopher Murell, one of the attorneys representing the McGees. Murell said that an investigative report from Lopinto's office shows that detectives found Tre'mall's shooting was justified because officers believed he was holding a weapon when he stretched his arm. "They are attempting to say that the officer said his life felt threatened because a child raised his hand," Murell said. Lopinto has confirmed Tre'mall was unarmed, but that doesn't always make the case clear-cut. In court and often within departments, the rules around use of force generally fall in an officer's favor. Under a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1984, Tennessee v. Garner, an officer can legally use deadly force when there's a "reasonable" threat to life. "The band of error is so wide in the law that to find somebody guilty of a criminal case is very difficult to prove," said Peter Scharf, a criminologist at the LSU School of Public Health. In the court of public opinion, law enforcement needs to convince residents that its investigations are thorough and fair. That, too, is growing harder as the fissures between police and many communities widen. "The country is about as polarized as I've seen it," Scharf said. "How does an agency build trust in the aftermath of the use of deadly force?" Spiller, from the NAACP, said cases like Keevan Robinson's and Tre'Mall McGee's have eroded trust in the legal systems in Jefferson Parish. "A lot of the Black community believes and feels that there is no justice for us," Spiller said. Tre'mall, who turns 15 next month, doesn't know what comes next for him in the legal system. His prosecution is on hold for now. According to his lawyers, the district attorney is taking another look at the charges. Tre'mall says the first thing he does in the sweltering July mornings is wake up, walk downstairs and open the refrigerator. He sticks his left arm inside. The cold air helps the pain from his bullet wound, which throbs in the heat. Image: (Annie Flanagan / for NBC News) Fragments of the bullet are still lodged in Tre'mall's body evidence, his mother said, that the sheriff's office still owes her answers. "I'm fighting just to get you to be accountable for what you did," Tiffany McGee said. "Just take responsibility. That's all I want you to do." Did you know you can save your preferences across all your digital devices and platforms simply by creating a profile? Would you like to get started? Yes, I'd like to register/log in Not right now No, never ask again Former Air Force base in Gettysburg on market for $4.5 M A former air force base near Gettysburg is up for sale. The base is listed as having 50 beds and 15 bathrooms on a 42-acre parcel of land. Seven Turkish security personnel have died after their plane crashed into a mountain in the east of the country, state media reported Thursday. The reconnaissance plane crashed into Mount Artos, a dormant volcano in the province of Van, Anadolu news agency reported interior minister Suleyman Soylu as saying. Communication with the aircraft -- which was carrying two pilots and five "technical personnel" -- had been lost at around 10.45 pm (1945 GMT) Wednesday, he said, adding it had crashed at an altitude of 2,200 metres (7,200 feet). Soylu later arrived to inspect the scene of the crash, according to pictures posted on his Twitter account that showed him alongside military personnel in rugged terrain. The 2015-model plane had been conducting "reconnaissance and surveillance" in Van and the predominantly-Kurdish Hakkari province since Monday, Anadolu said. Hakkari province borders Iraq and has seen numerous clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants during a decades-long insurgency. Van provincial governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez paid tribute to the seven "heroes" on Twitter and sent condolences to their families. A government investigation into the incident was underway, he added. Two Turkish pilots died in 2018 when a military training plane crashed during an exercise in the western province of Izmir. Remote and mountainous Van province on Turkey's eastern border was struck by two avalanches in February that killed 41 people. Earlier that month a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in neighbouring Iran injured dozens in the province. Fine Gael Dublin Mid-West TD Emer Higgins got into trouble with Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail after she brought nitrous oxide canisters into Dail Eireann. The TD held up a silver nitrous oxide canister in a sitting of Dail Eireann in the Convention Centre in Dublin while discussing the dangers of the recreational use of the laughing gas drug yesterday. However, she got into trouble with the Ceann Comhairle for bringing the canister into the chamber. The Deputy was speaking about how easily accessible the gas is and can be bought online for as little as 1. I didnt have to search very hard last night to find this used canister, she told the Dail, while holding it up. They litter my local parks in Lucan, in Clondalkin, in Rathcoole and in Palmerstown. Minister, we need to act now to protect our young people. After she made her speech, the Ceann Comhairle said: I thank Deputy Higgins. As she is a new Deputy I am sure she is not aware of the protocols of displaying devices in the Chamber so I will just draw her attention to that. The TD defended her decision to bring the canisters in saying that it would raise awareness. I got in trouble for that, Ms Higgins told Independent.ie. I think its important, parents are at home, they might be hearing about this, but they dont know what they look like and people are seeing these when theyre out and about in the park. But Im happy to defend that, I dont think theres anything wrong with bringing it in and showing it to people because thats how parents can understand, some people are getting these delivered to their home and parents are completely oblivious. [Ceann Comhairle] was okay, he got over it, Im a newbie so its not too bad, but I genuinely didnt realise." I picked up two but theyre everywhere, she said. The Fine Gael TD said the use of the gas amongst young people is a huge issue and that two teenagers have passed away after using nitrous oxide. All of a sudden, it just seems like an epidemic. [The canisters] are just everywhere. If youre going for a walk or a run, there are piles of them. Most generations have a drug craze unfortunately but this one seems to be particularly dangerous, she added. SPRINGFIELD -- The city will open cooling centers from Saturday through Monday in anticipation of a heat wave that is expected to hit Western Massachusetts. The locations of the cooling centers have changed from previous years because of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the number of people allowed to enter the centers will be limited to 25, face masks will be required and those visiting the centers will be required to give their names, addresses and phone numbers so they can be contacted if someone at the center later tests positive for COVID-19, according to Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris. Springfield continues to practice an abundance of caution in adhering to recommended safe practices. Your patience is appreciated as we continue to combat this deadly COVID-19 virus, Sarno said in an announcement. The cooling centers will be open from noon to 6 p.m. each day. They are located in the Mason Square Library Community room, 765 State St.; Kenefick Park fitness center, 310 Plainfield St.; Forest Park conference room next to the administration building; Indian Orchard Citizens Council, 117 Main St., Indian Orchard; Clodo Conception Community Center, 1187 Parker St. and South End Community Center, 99 Marble St. According to the National Weather Service temperatures are predicted to hit a high of 93 degrees on Saturday, 98 degrees on Sunday, 95 degrees on Monday and 93 degrees on Tuesday. People who have pre-existing conditions may be more vulnerable to stress-related illnesses and should take extra precautions when dealing with extreme heat, city officials said. People are reminded to stay hydrated, stay out of the sun, limit physical activity, avoid large meals and remain on the lowest floor of a building to avoid the heat. They are also asked to check on relatives, friends and neighbors who may be more vulnerable to the heat. People with pets are reminded to never leave them in a car, even for a few minutes in high heat. Pet owners should keep their animals inside where it is cooler during the hottest part of the day and make sure they have plenty of water. Pets can also suffer sunburn so people should make sure dogs have available shade if outside. Related content: Massachusetts reports 11 new coronavirus deaths, 143 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday Massachusetts casino patrons complying with mask requirements, say state regulators reviewing MGM Springfield, Plainridge, Encore Heat wave to hit Massachusetts, temperatures to feel as hot as 103 degrees MANISTEE The State of Michigan has created a new grant program to help businesses and organizations with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Small Business Restart Program through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is allocating $4.5 million in funds through the Networks Northwest regional economic development organization. The federal CARES Act is the source of funding, passing through the state to the local businesses. The Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce is an active partner in Networks Northwest and will be the local economic development lead on the new program for the Manistee area. 2020 has been challenging for our Manistee area businesses with decreased revenues from temporary closures and postponed events, said Stacie Bytwork, president of the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce. There is a strong need in our community for assistance, and we are grateful to Gov. Whitmer, the legislature, MEDC and Networks Northwest for addressing these challenges with the Small Business Restart Program grants. The chamber worked in April to promote a similar program, assist applicants and score applications from the MEDC named the Michigan Small Business Relief grant program. For this latest grant program, the chamber advocated for broader eligibility across the area and other changes to make the process easier. Unlike the last round of grants, businesses and organizations from the entire Manistee County area can apply. We are excited to be able to participate in this process again, said Bytwork. The first grant was extremely important for our area businesses, and with greater funding and eligibility the Restart Program will have an even greater impact. The Restart Program grants will be between a range of $10,000-$20,000 each and be used for eligible expenditures of payroll, rent, utilities or similar expenses. The enabling statute that created the program requires that 30% of the recipients be women-, minority- or veteran-owned businesses. There are many eligibility requirements, including showing business revenues have been impacted by COVID-19, demonstrating need with their available working capital and expenses, having a Pure Michigan Business Connect Account, and having 50 employees or fewer both at the time of grant submission and as of March 16. It is important for applicants to read all the application instructions. Nonprofit organizations impacted by coronavirus are eligible to apply for this MEDC grant, said Dennis McCarthy, Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce Board chair. However, even though the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce has lost revenue from COVID-19 and could apply, the chamber will forgo the grant opportunity in order to provide more assistance to our local businesses and organizations. It is expected that the legislature will amend the statute that created the grant program this week to make additional changes. The changes will allow previous recipients of the Small Business Relief Fund to apply for this round of grants, however, previous recipients will be capped at $20,000 for their total award between the two grants. Approximately $260,000 of grant funding will be made available to the Manistee area. The Michigan Small Business Restart Program competitive grant application went live online at 9 a.m. on July 15 at michiganbusiness.org/restart or on the homepage of ManisteeChamber.com. The anticipated demand for this small business grant program will be high, and it is possible to expect some delays with the web-based application. It may be helpful to strategize on when to apply. To help businesses, MEDC will have a telephone helpline in operation during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (888) 522-0103. The grant deadline is Aug. 5, with an award date in mid-September. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday announced that the government has suspended his former principal secretary M Sivasankar, a senior IAS officer, for flouting service rules amid reports of his imminent arrest in the gold smuggling case. Vijayan said the action was taken on the basis of an inquiry conducted by a two-member panel headed by chief secretary Viswas Mehta. Inquiry report pointed out that there were some lapses on his part and he violated all-India service rules, said the CM. The opposition Congress and BJP said the CM cannot get away with action against his former secretary. He took action against his secretary since needle of suspicion is turning towards him. We want the CMs resignation said BJPs Kerala unit president K Surendran Considered close to Vijayan, he was removed from the powerful principal secretarys post last week after reports surfaced that he was allegedly close to one of the key accused in gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh. He was grilled by the Customs department for nine hours on Wednesday. Officials found discrepancies in his statement and decided to call him again for questioning, people familiar with the investigation said. They also said his arrest was imminent. The case blew up after Customs seized 30 kg gold from a consignment that came in the name of an official of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on June 5. Later the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Many other central agencies are helping the NIA in the investigation. The UAE attache in Thiruvananthapuram Rashed Khamis Ali Musaiqri Alsheme who enjoys diplomatic immunity, left the country via Delhi on Tuesday. Earlier, the Union government had made a formal request to the UAE embassy for a meeting with him. Meanwhile ,the Ministry of External Affairs has cancelled the passport of Faisal Fareed, one of the accused in the gold smuggling case who is reported to be in the UAE. After a court in Kochi issued an arrest warrant against him the NIA had approached Interpol and issued a blue corner notice against him. People familiar with the investigation said he will be extradited in a couple of days. During investigation the NIA found that he used to procure gold and send it to the country through different channels. Fareed, who is said to run a gym and motor garage in the UAE, is reportedly close to many in the film industry. On Thursday, least 12 people were arrested by Customs and revenue intelligence in connection with the case. Earlier this week, a NIA court had remanded four persons in the agencys custody - Sarith Kumar, a former employee of the UAE consulate, IT consultant Swapna Suresh, Sureshs friend Sandeep Nair and K T Rameez, an alleged agent who used to distribute smuggled yellow metal to jewellers. While implementing strict safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese enterprises have also managed to guarantee the construction and operation of overseas projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, stimulating local economies and improving peoples livelihoods. The China-assisted Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project in Indonesia has been making steady progress this year. The projects No. 3 and No.5 tunnels have been drilled through and the first multi-span rigid frame continuous beam for the No. 2 Bridge of the railway has been closed. Bachelor in Paradise star Abbie Chatfield has broken her silence after leaving the show on Thursday night. The 24-year-old took to Instagram soon after her elimination episode aired, confirming she was 'single and ready to mingle'. The Brisbane-based reality star also revealed she had been 'banned' from dating app, Tinder, while suggestively licking the top of a cocktail. Bye for now: On Thursday, Abbie Chatfield announced she was 'single and ready to mingle' after she was booted from Bachelor in Paradise 'The journey is over but at least I can let you know ya girl is single and ready to mingle,' she told viewers and fans. Abbie went on to say her experience on Bachelor in Paradise was 'so different' to her turn on Matt Agnew's season of The Bachelor. 'I could cry thinking about all of the incredible support I received this time around.' she said. She then encouraged viewers to be kind to other cast members on Channel Ten's island romp for unlucky-in-love reality stars. Banned: 'The journey is over but at least I can let you know ya girl is single and ready to mingle,' she told viewers and fans, while letting them know she's been banned 'Please remember to be kind to all the cast this year, despite what you think they have done,' she said. Abbie finished by saying she was 'ok' and will forever be watching. On Thursday night, Abbie was left blindsided when Jamie Doran, 40, failed to give her a rose, and chose Brittney Weldon instead. After being booted from the rose ceremony, the buxom blonde said: 'I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. I cannot believe this.' Plot twist: On Thursday night, Abbie was left blindsided when Jamie Doran, 40, failed to give her a rose, and chose Brittney Weldon instead After being booted from the rose ceremony, the buxom blonde said: 'I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. I cannot believe this.' Having fun? Abbie turned off the lights and Ciarran instructed her to get under the flimsy cotton sheets During her two-episode stint, Abbie showed a keen interest in Ciarran Stott. The pair had a raunchy bedroom session and went on a date, but Ciarran later showed more interest in co-star, Jessica Brody. Bachelor in Paradise continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten Every five or six weeks I would travel to England to see my 91-year-old father in the West Midlands. He lives independently, but is supported by my brother and his family who live close by. Just before the Cheltenham Festival, I was due to travel over to him to watch the races on TV together as we have done for the past 10 years. But with the advent of Covid-19 and concerns around the festival itself, I consulted my brother and we both decided it was not worth taking the risk. I have to admit it is upsetting for me that I cannot see my father but, with or without rules, I am imposing my own travel regulations to avoid exposing him to the virus. However, if I were determined to see my father I could fly or drive to England at any point without any restrictions. There are no quarantine regulations there and my only issue would be the return journey. I always flew to England but I would be wary of flying now, having watched a CNBC journalist's video of her flight from Los Angeles to North Carolina to see her family. She took every precaution, disinfecting her luggage, maintaining social distancing in taxis and at the airports, and was fully masked at all times. However, the plane she travelled on was completely full with all seats occupied. Even though all the passengers were masked, the masks had to be removed to take food and drink and, in any event, everyone was sitting cheek by jowl. Her conclusion was that travel should only be undertaken if absolutely necessary. I had already considered that travel to England would be preferable by ferry and her video absolutely convinced me that this would be the safest option. At least I would be cocooned in the car for part of the journey and social distancing would be easier to achieve on a ferry than a flight. But if I were to travel now by ferry I would not be able to return via Dublin without filling in the necessary entry - or in my case re-entry - form and self-quarantining for two weeks. Except of course if I return via the North. I could cross over to Holyhead from Dublin but drive on my return via Stranraer, get the ferry to Larne and cross the Border without any form to fill in or requirement to quarantine. This is clearly arrant nonsense. Furthermore, it is inevitable those choosing this option are likely to be those who are going to be more relaxed about taking the risks that most of us are trying to avoid. And if they are prepared to take those risks, they will be re-introducing risk back into the community. The journalist Mary Kenny was scheduled to speak at the Percy French Festival in Roscommon on July 22 and inquired on Monday via Twitter about whether there were any travel restrictions in place. It was somewhat surprising that she didn't consult the Government website gov.ie rather than social media, but the upshot of the Twitter flurry that followed is that she will no longer be taking part. However, it has not prevented ill- informed speculation about whether it is safe for people to travel. It is simply not possible for anyone travelling through an airport to guarantee that they will be free from infection even if they have been self-isolating at home for months. We still do not know enough about the virus to reach these conclusions. The only way to ensure 100pc safety is a vaccine, but that is not imminent. Even testing, given the nature of the virus, is not an absolute guarantee of safety because the infection could be at too early a stage for detection, or could be acquired post-testing. Within the last two weeks I have travelled on buses and trains. Passengers are, in the main, few and far between. Most - but not all - people on both modes of transport are masked, but there are transmission pinch-points around doors and getting on and off where it is nigh-on impossible not to be close to others no matter how much you try. Many commuters are clearly avoiding public transport and are using their cars. This would explain that while Dublin city centre seems fairly deserted even at peak rush hour, the roads in and out of town are as busy as ever. I minimised my risks for months. I visited shops a handful of times over three months and barely left the house because I was fortunate enough to be able to work remotely. However, in recent weeks my movements and public activities have increased. I make no complaint about this and it will be most people's experience as we gradually return to our workplaces. It is inevitable nonetheless that risks will increase and that means the possibility of a second wave or individual clusters and lockdowns will occur. With the glaring and appalling exception of nursing homes, Ireland has performed well in terms of its Covid-19 response. In the UK, infection rates have been higher. I am not sure how long my father will be in self-imposed lockdown, with food delivered to the door, but I know for his sake that I probably won't be able to visit for a long time. Some people may think I am overcautious and the risk is slight but none of us is qualified to have any certainty of knowing for sure. My mother died a long time ago but her best friend lived on in the same area my father lives in. She died in April. From Covid-19. This Sunday evening will give you goosebumps as Zee Telugu, one of the leading GEC channels in Andhra & Telangana will take you through a spine-chilling journey where you will experience fear, terror, anxiety, panic and horror. The channel is hosting the World Television Premiere of Akasha Ganga 2 on Sunday, 19th July at 6:00 PM only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD. Arathi Varma (Veena Nair) the current heiress of the Maanikesseri royal family and the daughter of Unni and Maya, is an MBBS student and an atheist. She doesnt believe the stories told about her family or the evil spirits that reside in her house. Soumini, played by Ramya Krishnan, daughter of Mepaddan who helped Arathi family in the past, tries to explain to Arathi about the negative energies and how she can speak to souls. Listening to this, Arathi accepts the challenge that her friends, Gopi, Titus and Jithu put forward and decides to communicate with the soul of her mother who died while conceiving her. As dark spirits untangle, she is pulled into the grim and wretched ways of Akashaganga, the evil soul that once tormented her family. Will the evil spirit once again be successful in carrying out the revenge against Arathis family? With a great cast, gripping story and lauded screenplay, Director Vinayan moves away from the cliche film making and creates a classy horror masterpiece. You can run, you can hide but you cannot escape Akashaganga. Watch the mega Telugu spine-chilling premiere of Akashaganga 2 only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD. Experience the magic on 19th July 2020 at 6:00 PM. As we welcome the new normal and further our entertainment proposition, we urge the audience to stay safe and continue enjoying their favorite shows at the comfort of their homes. To enjoy the show, subscribe to Zee Telugu, available in the Zee Prime Pack at Rs. 20 per month To ensure you do not miss out on your favorite Zee Telugu shows, choose the Zee Prime Pack that includes Zee Telugu, and Zee Cinemalu alongside 7 other top channels of the Zee Network that cater to the daily entertainment needs of your entire family at Rs. 20 per month only. For further information, contact your DTH or Cable operator. Lakshmi Mittal, steel magnate and CEO of Arcelor Mittal has donated 3.2 million pounds to Oxford Jenner Institute which is currently testing the efficacy of its coronavirus vaccine. The institute said that the "generous gift" from Mittal will assist in securing the future of a critical professorship in vaccinology. That post from hereon will be known as 'Lakshmi Mittal and family Professorship of Vaccinology' in recognition of his support. Currently Professor Adrian Hill holds the position. Talking about the endowment, Lakshmi Mittal said that this year has been a wake-up call to the world to be better prepared for pandemics. He said that Professor Hill's work is not only extraordinary but essential. "Having always had a keen interest in healthcare, like many I was following with great interest the work on potential vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. After a fascinating conversation with Professor Hill, my family and I concluded that the work he and his team are doing is not only extraordinary but essential, not just for this current crisis but for other challenges we may face in the future. The importance of dedicated and ongoing research in this field cannot be overestimated and we are delighted to be supporting this vaccinology professorship at Oxford," he said. Professor Hill is the principal investigator of the human trials of the Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine. The university is partnering with AstraZeneca to manufacture coronavirus vaccine candidate. In fact, some positive news is expected from the first phase trials of the Oxford corona vaccine this week. The researchers said that they were encouraged by the immune response witnessed in the trials so far and are aiming to publish the data of Phase I by end of July. Professor Gavin Screaton, Head of Oxford's Medical Sciences Division thanked Mittal and his family for their support to secure the future of the 'pivotal leadership post'. "The University can continue to deliver and grow its world-leading vaccine research and focus on pandemic preparedness. The results of this work will have a significant impact on people's lives around the world and will enable humanity to respond with even greater speed to the next global pandemic," he added. Jenner Institute is a leader in vaccine development. It had first started developing vaccine for the Ebola outbreak in 2014, with Professor Hill at the helm. ArcelorMittal was the founding member of the Ebola Private Sector Mobilisation Group that coordinated response from the private sector against the outbreak. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech start trials; Moderna enters final phase Also read: India's first COVID-19 vaccine candidate COVAXIN gets approval for human trials 563 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Guterres offers Merkel job at UN Armenian church revamped in Iran World oil prices going up Newspaper: ECHR rulings increase after Armenia revolution in 2018 Newspaper: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan to give interview instead of press conference Azerbaijan MFA falls into hysterical rage by France FM statement The Pope to donate 100,000 to help migrants on border of Belarus and Poland Fourth vaccine against COVID-19 is not enough for Omicron World is on verge of country defaults French Foreign Ministry considers unacceptable Azerbaijan statements about Pecresse US to return two valuable artifacts over 4,000 years old to Iraq Germany may consider halting Nord Stream 2 if Russia attacks Ukraine Israel successfully completes test of anti-ballistic missile system Plane landing in Sochi struck by lightning Putin and Aliyev discuss Ukraine situation Greek PM Mitsotakis threatens Turkey with sanctions Handelsblatt: US and EU abandon idea of disconnecting Russia from SWIFT international payment system Artsakh President meets representatives of non-governmental organizations Avalanche kills person in Iran Erdogan says he is pleased with decline in volatility of lira NEWS.am daily digest: 18.01.22 Turkey and Azerbaijan to start laying gas pipeline to supply Nakhichevan UK begins to supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons Armenian PM holds meeting on Armenia's Transformation Strategy until 2050 Nagorno-Karabakh: Remains of another Armenian soldier found in Jrakan region Tehran to not accept any border change in South Caucasus Dollar holding relatively steady in Armenia Armenia special representative: Future process depends on Turkeys constructiveness degree Erdogan: Gas from Mediterranean to Europe can only be pumped through Turkey Iranian Consul General discusses customs cooperation in Nakhijevan Inecobank brings Apple Pay to customers Parliament vice-speaker says he is familiar with Armenia proposals on border demarcation commission work US Secretary of State to visit Kyiv Russia, Iran and China to hold joint naval drills OSCE Chairmanship on Aliyev statement: We reiterate our full support to Minsk Group Co-Chairs Artsakh NSS denies rumors about penetration of Azerbaijanis into Karabakh villages Indonesian parliament approves bill to relocate capital Armenia PM to Bulgaria colleague: Our interstate relations are marked by continuous development of cooperation Armenian President meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Azerbaijan to ban foreigners from visiting Nagorno-Karabakh occupied part European Parliament new speaker elected Armenian National Interests Fund participates in Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Week summit North Korea fires missiles for fourth time this year ECHR recognizes violation of Armenian PM's rights after 2008 elections Turkey reveals plans to produce combat aircraft Karabakh official: Azerbaijan presidents impudent behavior is due to OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs silence Azerbaijan special services force Artsakh resident to intelligence work Copper price is stable Minister of State: OSCE MG Co-Chairs must accept exercise of Karabakh people's right to self-determination Armenia President, UAE Minister of State discuss possibilities of cooperation in science and technology Investigation into criminal case of several Armenia soldiers returned from Azerbaijan captivity is over Canada sends detachment of special forces to Ukraine Armenia ex-President Kocharyan, former deputy PM now MP Gevorgyan case trial resumes 2 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh Armenia family has 10th child Converse Bank brings Apple Pay to customers Gold is getting weaker Lacote: French institute to operate in Armenia (PHOTOS) Ardshinbank Brings Apple Pay to Customers Armenia President in UAE, meets with Emirati environment minister Armenia legislature approves changes to several laws Differences in data on coronavirus deaths in Armenia are corrected 360 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Norway to begin Breivik early release hearing Economy minister to head Armenia side of commission on economic cooperation with Kazakhstan Mexico crime photojournalist killed Newspaper: Criminal case against Armenia archbishop dropped Newspaper: Opposition Armenia Bloc in parliament to toughen its tactics Scientists discover large breeding colony of icefish in southern Antarctica China creates low-gravity artificial moon Tehran welcomes normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations Russian and Iranian Foreign Ministers discuss regional issues UN Secretary-General: Vaccinate whole world to end pandemic Giant asteroid to fly past our planet Armenian President meets with Executive Director of Mubadala Investment Company UAE counting on Turkey Indonesia to move capital by 2024 Passenger traffic at Armenian airports decreased by 30% Armenian Investigative Committee: Six soldiers captured in November arrested Turkish government to discuss Rubinyan-Kilic meeting results German FM threatens Russia in case of aggression against Ukraine Armenian MFA senior staff meets with ambassadors to European countries Turkish court acquits German journalist Mesale Tolu Turkish UAV intercepted over Greek island Protest in front of Armenian Health Ministry France introduces vaccine passes Bitcoin begins to lose out competitors Exchange rates in Armenia Safari browser caught leaking user data Xi Jinping: Confrontation between major powers can have disastrous consequences Lukashevich: Russia concerned that OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs may not be able to visit Nagorno-Karabakh Court obligates Armenia ruling force MP to prove ex-President Sargsyan lost more than $100M in casinos Ex-ruling party official: Armenia authorities may renounce Genocide, Karabakh Armenian PM's party decides to provide free textbooks to non-state schools Times: Johnson prepares cadre purge to save his own skin Pecresse accuses French government of inaction after Aliyev's statements on her Karabakh visit Armenia President attends Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week forum opening Armenia legislature ruling majority member: It is possible for us to have neighborly relations with Azerbaijan President approves Artsakh government decisions on provision of financial assistance Every second person trying their hands at baking during the #WFH mode is now being found whipping their baton and pouring the batter into pans that lead to making of visually appealing bundt cakes! Pictures of tempting and gooey bundt cakes have been surfacing in stories of denizens on various social media platforms. So, is this the start of a new food trend? Bundt cakes are actually the new banana bread! Every other baker in town is attempting to make it and upload their pic on social media, says Shubhpreet Kaur, a Delhi-based baker, adding, The beautiful spiral of the bundt cake is what makes it look so interesting! In a month, I generally get orders for 25 to 30 bundt cakes, and the number of orders is picking up pace rapidly. Of late, many of our clients asked for their birthday cake to be bundt cake! Agreeing to Kaur, Manisha Khera, owner of Chill Bakes, DLF Phase IV, Gurugram, adds, Recently, we have been getting many orders for bundt cakes. Customers love fresh vanilla bundt cake. This demand has particularly risen in the past few months. Also, bundt cakes sell well as they have a good shelf life as they have no cream, and therefore more appetising for weight conscious people Their USP is that they are low on sugar. According to recent google trends, people have been searching for the term bundt cake and bundt pan increasingly. Its quite interesting to see how after banana bread, theres a sudden hype about bundt cakes. I knew I had to give in to this trend, so I went ahead and ordered a bundt pan online. Ive been baking these cakes since then, and I just love the way their shape comes out! What I particularly like about these cakes is how easy it is to centre fill them differently, says Chaitali Aggarwal, a Delhi-based baker and food blogger. Author Rakshanda Jalil also put up a picture of a bundt cake in one of her recent Facebook stories. My daughter, Aaliya Waziri had baked that marble cake with chocolate swirls between a plain pound cake, shares Jalil, adding, I use the bundt tin for all sorts of interesting flavours. So far, Ive baked a lemon cake with a lemony icing drizzled on the top, a marble cake, a plain vanilla cake and so on. Author Rakshanda Jalil recently shared this picture of bundt cake, in one of her Facebook stories. (Photo: Facebook) Bundt cakes have been highly in demand lately. Its a very special kind of an enriched cake with equal proportion of flour, egg, butter and sugar. Best part is that its not restricted to a single flavour, and no special garnishing is required as the bundt pan itself is in decorative shape. This is why they are easier to create. Harshita Sharma, owner , Bake My Day in Navi Mumbai The trend of bundt cakes has seen a rise not only in Delhi-NCR, but across India. Harshita Sharma, owner of Bake My Day cakenmore in Navi Mumbai, says, Bundt cakes have been highly in demand lately. Its a very special kind of an enriched cake with equal proportion of flour, egg, butter and sugar. Best part is that its not restricted to a single flavour, and no special garnishing is required as the bundt pan itself is in decorative shape. This is why they are easier to create, for any novice baker! Those ordering this delectables bake concede that their interest arose after seeing its rising popularity on social media. Bundt cakes are my new obsession! Banana bread is old school now. I recently ordered a chocolate bundt cake to see what the whole fuss was about, and I got addicted! I spend hours on gathering various bundt cake recipes to try my hand at. When everything else failed, I simply ordered a bundt cake, and grammed it before I ate, says Arnab Haldar, a Delhiite. Author tweets @FizzyBuddha Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An artist's rendering of Mamie Nichols Townhomes affordable housing complex planned for the Point Breeze neighborhood in South Philadelphia. Read more A nonprofit developer wants to build an affordable housing complex of 33 rental apartment and rowhouse units on what is now city-owned land in South Philadelphias Point Breeze area, a neighborhood thats seen soaring housing costs in recent years. The Womens Community Revitalization Project, based near Kensington, was approved through a vote last week by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to buy the tract at Reed and South Capital Streets, west of South 20th Street, for a nominal fee to build what it is calling the Mamie Nichols Townhomes. City Council must also approve the deal. The Mamie Nichols Townhomes are important in Point Breeze, where affordable rental housing is disappearing, to ensure that long-term residents get to stay in their community, said the organizations president Nora Lichtash. The complex, named for a deceased Point Breeze community leader, is to comprise a mix of one-bedroom apartments and two- and three-bedroom rowhouses. Some apartments are to be available at heavily subsidized rents or even rent-free for military veterans with disabilities, Lichtash said. Monthly rent at the rowhouse units are expected to range from $170 to $775. The project is to be completed under an ownership structure known as a community land trust, which caps the potential markup on the rental complex if it is ever resold so that the units remain affordable to low-income renters. The Womens Community Revitalization Project is developing five additional rowhouses on a nearby parcel that it plans to sell to individual home buyers under the land-trust structure, which will limit how much those owners can earn by reselling the properties. These homes will be permanently affordable, Lichtash said. They were first linked romantically back in May. And Sophia Bush and Grant Hughes were spotted grabbing a bite to eat during a low-key lunch date on Wednesday. The 38-year-old One Tree Hill star and her beau both sported casual attire for the Venice, CA outing. New man: Sophia Bush and Grant Hughes were spotted grabbing a bite to eat during a low-key lunch date on Wednesday Sophia wore ripped blue jeans and a long, striped shirt over a tank top. The Incredibles 2 voice actress covered her face with a face mask, per CDC recommendations, and wore her brunette tresses loose for the outing. Hughes, meanwhile, wore dark jeans along with a black T-shirt, as well as his own facial covering. Bush has kept her love life relatively private since her last major relationship with former costar Jesse Lee Stoffer. She was briefly married to Chad Michael Murray in 2006. Taking it easy: The 38-year-old One Tree Hill star and her beau both sported casual attire for the Venice, CA outing The look: Sophia wore ripped blue jeans and a long, striped shirt over a tank top Not happy: The California native took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday to voice her concerns about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA negotiations The California native took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday to voice her concerns about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA negotiations. The talks between the actors' union and the Hollywood studios appeared to have angered Bush, who admitted she was 'vibrating' due to her anger over the proposals in the new agreement between the two parties. She described the protections for women in the agreement regarding sexual harassment to be 'a joke'. 'We are not going to sign this,' said the actress, before encouraging her fellow union members to fight for a better deal. Describing the recent rise in coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania as unsettling, Gov. Tom Wolf announced new restrictions on bars, restaurants and other businesses in a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Wolf said hes issuing an executive order limiting bars and restaurants to seating people indoors at up to 25% of their capacity (currently, seating is allowed up to 50% capacity). In addition, alcohol in restaurants can only be purchased with meals but takeout purchases will be permitted. Outdoor dining will still be permitted, but bars and nightclubs that dont serve food wont be allowed to stay open, Wolf said. The governor is also directing businesses to have employees work remotely, if the work does not need to be done in an office. Were at a tipping point where we have to act, Wolf said. The governor also directed gyms and fitness centers to prioritize outdoor activities, though they can continue indoor operations. In addition, Wolf is prohibiting indoor events and gatherings of more than 25 people, along with outdoor events and gatherings of more than 250 people. Wolf and Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine have both voiced concerns about the recent uptick in cases in recent weeks, particularly among younger adults. You can watch it here. During the past week we have seen an unsettling climb in new COVID-19 cases throughout Pennsylvania, Wolf said. The governor said medical experts are projecting the rise in cases will continue. What were seeing right now could be worse than what weve seen before, Wolf said. Wolf cited a host of factors in the uptick of cases, including some people flocking to bars and restaurants and not wearing masks and social distancing. He also pointed to people traveling to other states where cases are surging and bringing the virus back to Pennsylvania. This virus does not respect state boundaries, Wolf said. Pennsylvania has slowed the rate of infections since the early spring but cases have been rising in recent weeks. The state Department of Health reported 994 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. At the peak, the state regularly surpassed more than 1,000 new cases each day, reaching a peak of 1,989 new cases on April 9. By acting in a targeted way now, Levine said, We can get ahead of the curve. The state has reported an average of 788 new daily infections over the last seven days. In mid-June, the state reported less than 500 cases per day, on average. Wolf said he understood Pennsylvanians want to get back to a more normal way of life. He said these measures offer a chance at maintaining activities Pennsylvanians enjoy. I dont like this any more than anybody else does, Wolf said. Wolf also said if cases continue to rise, it could affect plans for schools to open for in-person classes in the fall. Ultimately, he said it may not necessarily be a matter of him pulling the plug on in-person classes. Its going to be teachers not wanting to go back to schools, Wolf said. Its going to be parents not wanting to send their kids to school. Schools around the state are scrambling to plan for the new school year, which is slated to begin in some districts in a little more than a month. Many schools are planning face-to-face instruction but also offering remote options for parents wary of sending their kids to classes. Earlier today, the Philadelphia school district said city students would only attend classes in person two days a week, while learning remotely the other three days. Dr. David Rubin, a pediatrician and director of PolicyLab at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said the virus is starting to show a resurgence in the northeast, including Pennsylvania. He said plans to open schools in the fall largely depend on suppressing the spread of the virus. We are seeing now widespread community transmission throughout the northeastern area, Rubin said. To ensure schools can open in the fall, Rubin said, The time is now for action. Earlier this week, Levine said she the rise in cases among young people in the spring led to adults over 50 getting infected, and the pattern is repeating again. More than 97,000 people in Pennsylvania have contracted the coronavirus and more than 6,900 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the state Department of Health. Cases have been rising in southwestern Pennsylvania, with Allegheny County alone reporting more than 240 new cases Wednesday. The health department is seeing increases among younger age groups, including those 19 to 24 years old. In southwestern Pennsylvania, about 23 percent of cases reported in July are in that age group, compared to 5 percent of cases in April, the department said. In other regions, adults 19-24 make up 12 to 17 percent of the infections reported in July. The health department reports 667 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals, well below the peak of about 2,800 seen in the spring. However, the number of people in hospitals has risen in July, up from just under 600 at the beginning of the month. Wolf was asked why statewide measures were necessary since hospitals have more than sufficient capacity. The governor said the new restrictions, while targeted, are a critical step to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed, as some other states are seeing. If we do nothing, we are going to overwhelm our health care system, Wolf said. Levine distinguished this from the earlier statewide orders largely shutting down wide swaths of Pennsylvanias business sector. She said these are targeted efforts rather than the statewide restrictions of the past. She contrasted Pennsylvanias response with Florida, where cases have been surging in recent weeks, reaching over 15,000 new cases in a single day recently. She said Florida illustrates what happens by opening too soon without appropriate mitigation efforts. Thats what happens when you let this burn, Levine said. We cannot be Florida. In the last day, nearly 28,800 COVID-19 test results were reported to the health department, the highest one-day number to date. More from PennLive Where are Pennsylvanias 97,665 coronavirus cases? July 15 map, county-by-county breakdown Pa. restaurants, bars and social clubs cited for not abiding by COVID-19 guidelines State of coronavirus in Pennsylvania: Where do the counties rank? Pa. House passes bill that lays out a plan for counties to move out of green phase of reopening Its about choice: Levine urges Pa. residents to choose masks, choose to avoid people, businesses that reject them How do you deal with people who refuse to wear a mask? Experts weigh in with advice Googles Arts and Culture vertical has been known to release fun apps and tools to help people engage with art and history. In 2018, it launched a feature to let you find your fine art doppelganger by taking a selfie, and more recently it added ways for you to apply filters to your photos to take on the style of masters like Van Gogh or Da Vinci. Now, the company is launching a web-based AI tool to let users interact with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and also help researchers decode the symbols with machine learning. Its called Fabricius, named after the father of epigraphy, the study of ancient inscriptions, according to Google, and will let you send roughly translated messages in hieroglyphs to your friends. Fabricius has three sections: Learn, Play and Work. In the first part, you go through a quick six-stage course that introduces you to the history and study of hieroglyphs. There are activities here that include tracing and drawing a symbol, with machine learning analyzing your drawings to see how accurate you were. For example, my drawing of an Ankh symbol after having seen it for five seconds was determined to be 100 percent correct, while my attempt at a sceptre was deemed 98 percent accurate. In Play, you can type into a text field and the system will generate its closest approximation of your message in hieroglyphs. You can then choose to share it over social media or send a link to your friends. As Google cautions, these translations arent academically correct and are just for fun. Google Finally, researchers can check out the Work section on their desktops to decode symbols they have on file by uploading images to the workbench. According to Googles statement, Fabricus is the first digital tool that decodes Egyptian hieroglyphs build on machine learning. Prior to this, Google said experts had to manually dig through books upon books to translate and decipher the ancient language. This tool is also being released as open source on Github to aid research in the study of ancient languages. You can visit the Fabricius site to learn about or create messages in hieroglyphs on your phone or desktop, while the decoding workbench is only available on the latter. This machine learning platform could help researchers uncover more about our worlds history, but also offer a fun way to learn about our past. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 19:59:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close By Oliver Trust BERLIN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz is said to follow the example of German international Timo Werner and join the Premier League side Chelsea. Several German and English media reports speak of the 21-year-old having told his German side he intends to leave this summer. Euro League participant Leverkusen is demanding up to 100 million euros for the gifted youngster. The sports-magazine Kicker is referring to several sources confirming Havertz's decision without mentioning further details. Other German media talk about inside information confirming the transfer. Recently, German champions Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge announced the club couldn't address Leverkusen's financial claims due to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to similar reasons, Real Madrid is said to have pulled out of the battle. Leverkusen's CEO, Rudi Voeller, said no offer from other clubs has yet been received. The former German international made clear his club won't accept any "corona-discount" offers below 100 million, including bonuses. In case of a transfer, the German side also said Havertz must stay with Leverkusen and finish this season's Euro League campaign before getting the approval to depart. The midfielder's contract is valid until 2022 and isn't containing an exit clause. The BBC reports Havertz is considering to join Chelsea even though the club is still struggling to qualify for next season's Champions League campaign. Although he wants to play in Europe's elite competition, it is not thought to be a deal-breaker for any move. Only the Premier League's top four clubs will qualify for the Champions League next season after Manchester City's European ban was lifted last Monday. Other than Havertz, his future team-mate Werner decided to skip the remaining Champions League campaign with RB Leipzig to secure an early start at Chelsea. The 24-year-old joined the Blues for reported 53 million euros signing a contract until 2025. Former Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech has also started training sessions at Chelsea after his 40-million euro move. It is an open secret that club owner Roman Abramovich approved significant investments for the 2020/21 season. Signing Havertz would underline the ambitions to return to the continent's leading clubs. Enditem Owner Anthony Cianciculli stands in a warehouse filled with tents at Anthony Party Rentals in Norristown, Pa. on Monday, July 13, 2020. Read more The Broad Street Run no longer needed his services. Neither did brides, grooms, and universities stranded at the altar by a pandemic for which there remains no vaccine. But the phone is now ringing off the hook at Anthony Cianciullis battered tent-rental business. On the line is a desperate potential client. School districts, private K-12 schools, and even some college and universities. Scrambling to expand their real estate sufficiently to create socially distanced classrooms ahead of openings that are only weeks away, districts and other large educational institutions are exploring the use of tents. Its a commonsense idea for adapting to the fact that life indoors as we knew it has now become, amid COVID-19, very much a public health hazard. If only they were getting the support from our government that could actually help them make this happen. The public and private schools calling Anthony Party Rentals in recent weeks are asking what it would cost to rent one or more tents through November. Only the private ones, so far, have pulled the trigger, as Cianciulli put it. That very likely has to do with deep pockets and flexibility that our battered public schools do not have. Despite months to prepare for the return to school during a pandemic that has devastated most everyone but white-collar employees and stock investors, there has been virtually no meaningful federal pandemic aid to schools districts. Not from our viciously apathetic White House or from its partner in annihilation of the middle class, the Republican-controlled Senate. There have been only bloviating directives and destruction through passivity. Were getting tons of phone calls, Cianciulli said when I called and found him at his desk this week at Anthony Party Rentals. From colleges, universities, high schools, private schools everyones calling us. Only a few have locked any in by lodging deposits on them, he said. None of the schools moving forward so far is a public one. Cianciullis confirmed jobs include an elite Main Line K-12 school that is private, and several colleges and universities, he said. Our federal government should be doing everything in its power to help public schools secure and finance solutions such as this. Instead, our nations leaders are popping popcorn while schools devolve into a whoever-can-afford-it Thunderdome match for surviving the pandemic. Cianciulli says reserving tents comes with risk for both parties. He is requiring nonrefundable deposits for tents that could cost anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 each to rent for several months. He has no choice, he says, after being forced, earlier this year, to fully refund deposits for clients as the pandemic prompted government-ordered shutdowns of business and large gatherings. His company in Norristown is at half staffing. Most of his tents are out of service. Even some of his trucks are off insurance thats how tight things have gotten. Instead of making a typical $1 million in May, he watched a meager $56,000 roll in by June. Normally, there are weeks in June, he said, when every single tent is rented out. Business ticked up after Gov. Tom Wolf approved outdoor dining. Anthony Party Rentals installed tents at restaurants. He also put one up outside a refrigerator box outside of one of the hospitals, he said. Then came a flurry of school calls. Theyre asking for classrooms outside, he said of K-12 schools. Or overflow areas for cafeterias. Or long covered walkways that students can stand under while waiting their turn, through social distancing, to enter cafeterias. READ MORE: Schools cant reopen safely without better COVID testing for kids, say these Philly pediatricians l Expert Opinion Some schools also are asking for floors in tents. Others want walls, only to then realize that walls are part of the problem that everyone is trying to avoid. Not one public school, though, has booked them after getting quotes. We still dont know what theyre doing, he said. The Trump White House and Mitch McConnells Republican-led Senate, whose generous-to-bailing-out-businesses caucus includes influential Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, have refused to act on authorizing pandemic rescue funds to schools. Philadelphia says it will need $60 million to $80 million more just to open in a vastly scaled-down fashion this fall. READ MORE: Phillys coronavirus back-to-school plan: no full reopening, most students in class 2 days, will cost $60-$80 million more Our federal government bailed out private equity-owned businesses but has refused to throw a lifeline to the public institutions of greatest value in our nation: public schools. In Pennsylvania alone, school districts educate 1.7 million children. When public schools shut down this past spring, students were left with little to no education for months. Its one reason why finding a way to reopen safely is so critical. In-person instruction requires more space than most districts possess. Tents could be an emergency solution to help with social distancing. If only our cash-strapped districts had enough money sloshing around to make it happen. Imagine what the school district business would do to help a small business like Cianciullis at a time when our economy is in tatters. Look at them all, Cianciulli said as we walked past aisle after aisle of stacked, unused tents in a warehouse on Main Street. Theyre all rotting away. Yes. Rotting away like our schools, sooner than later, in the hands of the majority party in Washington during a crisis of unprecedented danger and damage. Abuja The Senate at an executive session wednesday mandated the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the contentious issue of the employment of 774,000 public workers. The issue had led to exchange of words between the National Assembly and the Minister of State for Labour, Mr.Festus Keyamo, who had announced on Tuesday that President Buhari had given him go-ahead to recruit the social workers without recourse to the National Assembly. Sources told THISDAY that Keyamo's latest assertion on the programme which is to gulp N52 billion formed the basis of the closed-door session that lasted from 10.30am 12.30 pm. Senators across party divides were said to have expressed reservations about Keyamo's vituperations and called for urgent steps to be taken against the junior minister by the legislative arm. A ranking senator said it was on this basis that all the Senators present at the executive session agreed that the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, should meet with President Buhari and impress it upon him the need to maintain the cordial relationship between the executive and the legislative arm of government. THISDAY learnt that the meeting with the President is expected to hold before Tuesday which is the next adjourned date of the Senate "as the upper legislative chamber is scheduled to hold another closed-door session on that day to discuss the outcome of the Assembly leadership's meeting with President Buhari. The Senate has also chosen not to glorify Keyamo with any reply and it has asked its spokesman, Senator Ajibola Basiru, not to issue any statement on Keyamo's tantrums or grant any media interview. South Africa: Sisulu welcomes judgement against CT illegal evictions Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has welcomed the Western Cape High Court Judgment against the City of Cape Town on illegal evictions. The Western Cape High Court declared on Wednesday that the Citys actions and conduct in demolishing and evicting the community of Hangberg in Hout Bay, was unlawful and unconstitutional. Sisulu said the State will do everything to enforce this court order and ensure that the City of Cape Town officials comply. As the court said, such evictions are in violation of Section 36 (1) of Alert Level 3 regulations made in terms of section 27 (2) of the Disaster Management Act of 2002, Sisulu said. The department also welcomed the courts instructions that the City must rebuild the same size and dimensions of the structures they demolished, within 48 hours of the court granting the order. The South African legislation prohibits evictions of residents, and the State is obliged to ensure that such violations of residents' human rights has consequences and is stopped immediately, the Minister emphasised. Section 26(3) of the Constitution states that no one may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished, without an order of court made after considering all the relevant circumstances. The Constitution further prohibits any intimidation, cutting off of services, or any other measure that makes residents living conditions unbearable in order to evict them. The State will intervene to enforce the Constitution and the Disaster Management Act, which gives effect to alert level 3 regulations. The State has a duty to protect the rights of all residents, Sisulu said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Bella Hadid is certainly making a splash in Calvin Klein's new swimwear campaign. The 23-year-old model - who is a brand ambassador for the company - is fronting the American brand's CK Spring 2020 Swim collection in a stylish campaign shot by British fashion photographer Charlotte Wales. Bella - the younger sister of 25-year-old model Gigi Hadid - looks sensational in the latest set of black and white photos, that she shared to her 31.6 million Instagram followers on Thursday. Making a splash: Bella Hadid shimmers in revealing one-piece as she models new Calvin Klein swimwear collection in photos shared to her Instagram account on Thursday The daughter of former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster showed off her slender physique in the portraits, striking a series of poses while wearing the very revealing swimwear pieces. Recently, the fashion label released some color shots of Bella, modelling several other pieces from the range including a hot pink swimsuit and in an black one piece in which she is seen posing underwater. The collection is inspired by 90s fashion and come emblazoned with the classic Calvin Klein logo across all swimsuits, whilst the bikinis have the company's retro logo. Putting her back in to it: The 23-year-old shows off her slender frame in a stylish campaign shot by British fashion photographer Charlotte Wales Reaching new lengths: Bella - the younger sister of 25-year-old model Gigi Hadid - looks sensational in the latest set of black and white photos The new campaign is not the first time that Bella has fronted an advertising push for Calvin Klein swimwear. Last year, Bella was chosen as one of the faces of the company's Summer 2019 collection alongside models Abby Champion and Matthew Noszka. The catwalk star also was one of the models that appeared in the #MyCalvins IRL underwear ad campaign along with Naomi Campbell, Diplo, Cara Taylor and Beth Ditto. During the coronavirus pandemic, Bella starred in a Jacquemus campaign which was shot over FaceTime due to social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the deadly respiratory illness. The campaign - which is called Jacquemus At Home - was photographed by Pierre-Ange Carlotti and creative-directed by the label's designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. However, Bella was responsible for doing her own hair and make-up, possibly due to following strict social distancing guidelines. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-17 00:05:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, July 16 (Xinhua) -- At least three women were killed on Thursday in an indiscriminate shelling launched by the Houthi rebels in the country's southern province of Lahj, a government official told Xinhua. According to the local government source, who asked to remain anonymous, "shells fired randomly by the Houthi rebels landed on a number of residential houses in Lahj province." He said that "the shells struck one of the residential houses located in the northern parts of Lahj, killing three women at the scene." "A number of houses located nearby were partially damaged by the random shelling carried from Houthi sites in the border areas between Lahj and Taiz province," the source said. Houses and civilians in border areas located between Taiz and Lahj province are frequently targeted with rockets and mortar shells due to the sporadic fighting raging there, according to local sources. The pro-Houthi forces also keep trying to make ground advances towards the southern provinces including Lahj, where key strategic army camps are located. The Iran-allied Houthi rebels seized the northern provinces including the capital Sanaa in late 2014, forcing Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile. An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in the Yemeni conflict to fight against the Houthis in March 2015, in response to an official request from Hadi to protect Yemen. Enditem Was it a bureaucratic decision to award a multimillion-dollar contract to a charity that has paid Justin Trudeaus mother thousands of dollars, or was it a political one? And either way, why did the prime minister have anything to do with approving the deal? Those are among the questions Trudeau and others might face when a parliamentary committee begins hearings Thursday on the governments now-abandoned effort to use WE Charity to administer its student volunteer program. On Wednesday, WE Charity announced it would be restructuring its operations and refocus its efforts towards international development. It also said it would cancel its WE Day mega-events, where celebrities and politicians including Trudeau talk to students about volunteering and leadership. Thursdays finance committee will be the publics first official look into a deal that has been criticized for its lack of transparency, and led to apologies from the prime minister and Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Its a mess, said Allan Tupper, head of the political science department at the University of British Columbia. There are questions right out of the gate about this thing as to why a program of this sort needs to be done and administered in this way. For weeks, Trudeau has faced the backlash from his governments agreement with WE Charity to deliver a $900-million summer student program, even though his brother and mother received $282,000 in speaking fees from the group between 2016 and 2020. Trudeau, and Morneau whose daughter works for the organization said this week that they should have recused themselves from discussions about the agreement with WE. The agreement was nixed amid widespread criticism, and has sparked an investigation by federal ethics commissioner Mario Dion. Tupper said the affair raises questions around the management and the complexities around the program, the timeline and what documentation the government has. Its a bit of a dogs breakfast, he said. Thursdays hearing may begin to see some of the questions answered. While some committee members may attempt to score political points over the controversy, there will also be inquiries about details and documents that are central to understanding how the agreement took shape. No government documents have been disclosed to the finance committee ahead of the hearings, a Conservative spokesperson said on Wednesday. Among those set to testify are Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, and high-ranking public servants involved with the file. Michael Barrett, the Conservative ethics critic, told the Star he wants to see documents because the specific wording in them is very relevant particularly in the agreement between WE and the government. The Opposition has framed the WE deal as a sole-source contract, rather than what the government has characterized as a contribution agreement. A spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada told the Star in an email that contribution agreements are used to further policy objectives, and allow the recipient to operate the program how they see fit, with the government setting guidelines for expense eligibility, outcomes and performance. A sole-source contract, on the other hand, could be used to get a service that directly benefits the government, be it in goods, like new office chairs, or services, like computer technicians for a department. Barrett characterized the differentiation between the two types of agreements as spin. Were seeing the best attempts at crisis management, he said. Theyre saying that they gave this contract to this organization because the federal public service couldnt administer it. So, its a misdirection at best. A government source familiar with the agreement said that the expectation was that WE would distribute the $900 million in grants to students, and stressed that if not all the money was used, it wouldnt go into WEs pockets. It doesnt work like that, they said, only speaking on the condition of anonymity. The $19.5 million going to WE as part of the overall agreement had to be shown to be going to eligible expenses for administering the grant program, the source said. About $5 million of that was to go to other non-profits and another $300,000 was allocated for accessibility measures ensuring students with disabilities could still access the program, they added. They couldnt say why it was a contribution agreement and not a sole-source contract, which are contracts done up without going through a competitive process. For a non-competitive contract to be penned, the government typically has to demonstrate that only one provider is able to deliver the service required, that the need of the service is a pressing emergency, or that the nature of the work means soliciting bids wouldnt be in the publics interest. Officials have consistently stated that the public service, which is supposed to be non-political in its decisions, recommended WE Charity as the only organization capable of delivering the student grant program. To drill into the decision-making, Barrett said his colleagues plan on calling the prime minister, his chief of staff, the finance minister, the clerk of the Privy Council, and people outside of government to testify before committees. Theres a lot of questions that need answers, he said. Read more about: New Delhi, July 16 : Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that no other option is left with Air India but to go in for privatisation. Replying to a question during a press briefing on civil aviation issues, the minister said that the airline cannot depend on state funding to survive. He cited that due to the Covid-19-induced economic turbulance the Centre might not be in a position to support the airline as massive financial resources have been deployed to safeguard the vulnarable sections of society. Furthermore, the minister without naming anyone said the airline should be left to those who know how to run it. He was replying to question on sharp political reactions that have been received on social media regarding the airline's 'Leave without Pay' policy. Recently, the national carrier has instituted a scheme whereby employees can opt to take "leave without pay" ranging from six months to up to five years. Additionally, the airline's management will also have the option to send any employee on leave. An Air India staff notice, which was accessed by IANS, read: "The Board of Directors in its 102nd meeting held on July 7, 2020 has approved a scheme whereby employees can opt to take 'leave without pay' ranging from six months or for two years and the same can be extended to up to five years. "The scheme also authorises the CMD to pass an order on behalf and in the name of the company whereby an employee could be sent on leave for six months or for a period of two years extendable to up to five years." However, this provision can only be exercised depending upon factors such as "suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health of the employee, instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past, as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy". The Air India unions are yet to decide on the future course of action. An Air India union leader told IANS: "LWP has to be across the board for all employees and burden has to be shared by all employees. This is not market standards. This is cherry picking by the top management." According to Air India PIM document, as on November 1, 2019, the airline on a standalone basis (without subsidiaries) had around 14,000 employees, including fixed term contract staff. The development comes as the Centre has re-initiated the airline's divestment plan with new norms. Puri, further said that the airline's management is in touch with all sections of employees and if privatisation does not takes place then "everyone" might lose their jobs. Besides, he said that privatisation might save the passenger carrier from the fate that many airlines around the world have recenetly suffered. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Several high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former president Barack Obama appeared to be hacked simultaneously on Wednesday with a message soliciting participation in a Bitcoin scam. The hacking effort also targeted Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Kanye West, Warren Buffett, and the corporate accounts of Uber and Apple. A tweet from Musk read, Feeling greatful, doubling all payments sent to my BTC address! You send $1,000, I send back $2,000! Only doing this for the next 30 minutes. Many of the tweets included a link to a Bitcoin wallet address. Close to 300 people reportedly fell for the scam and contributed more than $100,000 to the fake wallet. Biden and Obamas accounts posted a similar message, promising to double the money of participants who contributed to the Bitcoin wallet over the following 30 minutes. Uber posted a similar tweet that said, Due to Covid-19, we are giving back over $10,000,000 in Bitcoin! All payments sent to our address below will be sent back doubled. The ride-hailing company confirmed in a subsequent tweet that its account had been hacked. Like many others, our @Uber account was hit by a scammer today. The tweet has been deleted and were working directly with @Twitter to figure out what happened, Uber said. Hours after the first tweets appeared, Twitter said at 5:45 p.m. EST that the social media company is aware of the breach and is working on resolving it. We are aware of a security incident impacting accounts on Twitter. We are investigating and taking steps to fix it. We will update everyone shortly, Twitter Support wrote in a tweet. More from National Review A ruthless Iowa meth kingpin who killed five people, including two young girls, in 1993 in a bid to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking is to become the third federal inmate to be executed this week. Dustin Honken, 52, would become the first Iowa defendant to be put to death since 1963 if he is executed as scheduled on Friday. Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965 but federal prosecutors sought to execute Honken for killing US Government informants and children. Dustin Honken, pictured in 2005, has had appeals to delay his execution denied (Cliff Jette/The Gazette/AP) Honken is set to die by lethal injection at the prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he has been on death row since 2005 and two other men have been put to death since Tuesday after a 17-year hiatus in federal executions. His appeals to delay the execution have so far been denied. Lori Duncan, her new boyfriend Greg Nicholson and her daughters were kidnapped and killed by Honken and his girlfriend in 1993, seven years before their bodies were found. Susan Torres, 54, who was Ms Duncans sister-in-law and aunt to 10-year-old Kandi and six-year-old Amber, said of Honken: He does deserve what hes getting. I can tell you that. He deserved it a long time ago. Ms Torres, of Des Moines, Iowa, plans to attend the execution with other victims relatives. I am not going to lose any sleep if he is executed Prosecuting judge Mark Bennett Mark Bennett, the federal judge who oversaw Honkens trial, said he generally opposes the death penalty but if anyone deserves to be executed, it is Honken. He said Honkens crimes were reprehensible and he had a fair legal process, including talented lawyers who did an outstanding job with virtually nothing to work with. I am not going to lose any sleep if he is executed, said Mr Bennett, who has since retired from the bench. Normally I would but the evidence was so overwhelming. Mr Nicholson, who was one of Honkens dealers, began co-operating with investigators in 1993 after coming under suspicion. Honken was arrested and indicted for conspiring to manufacture meth after Mr Nicholson secretly recorded him and testified before a grand jury. The kingpin informed the court he would plead guilty but days before his July 1993 plea hearing, he and his girlfriend, Angela Johnson, went searching for Mr Nicholson. They found him at the home where he had moved in with Ms Duncan and her daughters. Honken's victims Greg Nicholson His partner Lori Duncan Her 10-year-old daughter Kandi Six-year-old Amber Duncan Dealer Terry DeGeus Honken forced Mr Nicholson, 34, to record a statement declaring him innocent of the drug charges. Mr Nicholson and the Duncans were taken to a remote area, fatally shot and buried. Honken withdrew his guilty plea and gave his lawyer the videotape of Mr Nicholson. As the investigation into Honken continued, his other dealer, 32-year-old Terry DeGeus, disappeared months after Mr Nicholson and the Duncans. Johnson lured Mr DeGeus, whom she dated before Honken, to a property where the kingpin beat him with a bat and shot him. Investigators found the bodies of Mr Nicholson and the Duncans in 2000 in a wooded area outside Mason City. The adults had been bound and gagged and shot multiple times. The girls had each been shot once in the back of the head. Mr DeGeus body was found a few miles away, his skull fractured. Honken was convicted of the killings in 2004 in a trial that featured extraordinary security measures, including an anonymous jury. He was bolted to the floor of the courtroom and forced to wear a stun belt under his clothing to prevent escape attempts. The jury recommended Honken be put to death for killing the girls and Mr Bennett agreed. Johnson was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to death. Mr Bennett later reduced her punishment to life behind bars, which she is serving at a federal prison in Minnesota. Complementary biomolecular transfer modalities added to Kintai platform through integration with Flagships Senda Biosciences CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kintai Therapeutics, a pioneer in unlocking the power of the human enteric signaling network and its signals throughout the body to combat disease and promote health, announced today that it is in the initial stages of combining its operations and talent with fellow Flagship Labs-founded company Senda Biosciences. Founded in 2019, Senda is developing novel platforms designed to solve the challenges of transferring therapeutic payloads across biological barriers. Dr. Guillaume Pfefer, CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering, and Dr. Scott Plevy, CSO of Senda Biosciences, will serve as CEO and CSO of the newly combined company, respectively. Dr. Pfefer is a 25-year veteran of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries who most recently served as Senior Vice President, Global Vaccine Leader for SHINGRIX, GlaxoSmithKlines (GSK) vaccine for the prevention of shingles. Prior to joining Senda Biosciences in 2019, Dr. Plevy served as CSO at Synlogic, Inc. and previously led the Gastroenterology Disease Area at Janssen Immunology Research & Development. Having led the establishment of the companys deep and diverse pipeline of clinical candidates over the past two years, previous Kintai CEO Dr. Paul-Peter Tak will continue to serve the newly combined company as a senior advisor. We are delighted to add the business and scientific expertise and experience of Guillaume and Scott to Kintais exceptional executive leadership team, said John Mendlein, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board of Kintai Therapeutics and Executive Partner of Flagship Pioneering. As the medical community continues to recognize the role of enteric biology in diseases as far ranging as oncology and COVID-19, this is an exciting time to leverage Kintais industry first enteric biology and small molecule chemistry platform for generating innovative product candidates with first-in-class mechanisms for a number of therapeutic areas, including metabolic, cancer and neurological diseases. We thank Paul-Peter for his many contributions and look forward to the important contributions Guillaume and Scott will undoubtedly make in harnessing the innovative platform opportunities and expertise of the newly combined Kintai and Senda organization to combat disease and promote health. Story continues Dr. Pfefer is an experienced life sciences executive who brings a wealth of expertise spanning research and development, manufacturing, strategy, commercial, business development and operations. As part of his role as Global Vaccine Leader for GSK, he led the U.S. launch of SHINGRIX, where he and his team delivered one of the best biopharma launches in North America over the past decade as independently assessed by IQVIA. Prior to GSK, Dr. Pfefer served as President and CEO of Kala Pharmaceuticals, where he helped transform the company from a pre-clinical technology platform start-up to a leading ophthalmology company currently with two commercial products on the market. He holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from the National School for Chemical Engineering (Nancy, France), a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. I am excited to be joining a team dedicated to translating breakthrough science and technology into new solutions for preventing and treating diseases, said Dr. Pfefer. With its novel biological insights based on the generation of human sample data and machine learning capabilities and modular chemistry proficiencies, Kintai is ideally positioned to bring transformative medicines to patients suffering from a broad array of metabolic, cancer and neurological diseases. I am also enthusiastic about the potential of a company that will meld the resources and expertise of Kintai and Senda and eager to unveil the full potential of this combined organization in due time. Dr. Plevy is a gastroenterologist and molecular immunologist who, prior to his appointment as CSO of Senda, held leadership positions at Synlogic, Inc. and Janssen Immunology Research & Development, LLC. During his career, Dr. Plevy has published over 110 refereed papers, served as the lead investigator on multiple early-phase clinical trials and performed translational research to advance the understanding of novel immunologic interventions in inflammatory bowel disease and other immunologic disorders. Dr. Plevy earned both an M.D. degree and an A.B. in mathematics from Columbia University and completed residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. He subsequently completed a clinical fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCLA School of Medicine. I am thrilled to be joining Kintai at this important time in the companys clinical advancement, said Dr. Plevy. It is truly a rare opportunity to be able to join a team working at the forefront of an entirely new approach to precision therapeutics that elucidates broad implications of enteric biology and microbiology in many human diseases with unmet medical needs. I am honored to play a role in helping to bring the promise of Kintais Precision Enteric Medicine discovery platform to reality. About Kintai and Senda Kintai Therapeutics is uniquely focused on unlocking the power of the enteric signaling network and its signals throughout the body to fight disease and restore health. The companys Precision Enteric Medicine (PEM) compounds are based on a deep understanding of the interconnected biology of the microbiome, gut immune system, and enteric nervous system. Kintai has pioneered a new frontier in gut science, resulting in a unique understanding of a wealth of new genes, metabolites, and signaling molecules, leveraging these insights to rapidly translate into a highly actionable pipeline. Through the companys focus on human biology, experimental medicine, bioinformatics and machine learning, Kintai has created a discovery and therapeutic development approach to identify and deliver new medicines. Kintais multidisciplinary expertise and its technology platform has delivered a pipeline of programs across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, neurology, metabolic disease and immunology. Kintai believes that its core strength lies in the hearts and minds of its talented employees who keep patients at the center. Kintai was founded in 2016 by Flagship Labs, the innovation foundry of Flagship Pioneering. To learn more, please visit the companys website at www.kintaitx.com . Founded in 2019, Senda is developing novel platforms designed to solve the challenges of transferring therapeutic payloads across biological barriers. About Flagship Pioneering Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has applied a unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $34 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship is backed by more than $4.4 billion of aggregate capital commitments, of which over $1.9 billion has been deployed toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside more than $10 billion of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises 41 transformative companies, including Axcella Health, Denali Therapeutics, Evelo Biosciences, Foghorn Therapeutics, Indigo Ag, Kaleido Biosciences, Moderna, Rubius Therapeutics, Sana Biotechnology, Seres Therapeutics, and Syros Pharmaceuticals. Contact Kristen Bridge Kintai Therapeutics kbridge@kintaitx.com MOSCOW -- The Moscow City Court has upheld the two-month pretrial arrest of Sergei Furgal, the governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk Krai region, who is charged with attempted murder and ordering two murders in 2004-2005, as his supporters rallied in the city of Khabarovsk for a sixth day. The July 16 court session was held behind closed doors as investigator Yury Burtovoi insisted that some people implicated in the case had been threatened. Furgal took part in the hearing via a video link from the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow. Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Khabarovsk, the capital of the Khabarovsk Krai region, continued to demand Furgal's release. The protesters gathered on the central Lenin Square and marched across the city, chanting "Freedom!" and holding posters saying "Khabarovsk Never Gives Up On Its Own People!" and "We Trust Our Governor!" Last weekend tens of thousands gathered in support of Furgal in Khabarovsk, a surprisingly strong showing given how far the city is from the Russian capital and how the Kremlin has marginalized all political opposition in the country. The protests were also the largest in the country since a national vote that has set the stage for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Smaller rallies were also held in the military-industrial city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and other towns in the region. A man shot dead by police during a "frenzied attack" on a woman in parkland in Melbourne's north-west on Thursday afternoon was known to officers, but did not have a criminal record, Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said. The Gladstone Park woman, who had yet to be formally identified due to the extent of her injuries, was fighting for life in Royal Melbourne Hospital where she was taken in a critical condition. Assistant Commissioner Cornelius said the junior officers at the scene were "terribly shaken up" by the shooting in Gladstone Park. Police at the scene of a police shooting at Gladstone Park on Thursday evening. Credit:Eddie Jim Police were called to what was believed to be a stabbing at John Coutts Reserve just after 3.30pm on Thursday. Minutes after they arrived, officers found a man believed to be in his 30s attacking the older woman. New insights into Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, were published July 15 in the prestigious journal Nature. Researchers from the Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio contributed to the study. Ewing sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue cancer that primarily affects children and adolescents. The discovery, made by scientists at the University of Toronto, relates to cell structures called nucleoli and a physical change they undergo called phase separation. The Toronto team observed that to form normal nucleoli, a structure must be made in the DNA. This is accomplished by the delicate balance of two different, but opposing, genetic code-reading machines. If these systems are not in balance, nucleoli lose their form and break up into smaller entities, the team found. Study author Alexander Bishop, DPhil, of UT Health San Antonio, with team members at the Greehey Childrens Cancer Research Institute, previously showed that one of the genetic code-reading machines is overactive in Ewing sarcoma. In the newly published study, they confirmed that, in Ewing sarcoma, this overactivity causes the nucleoli to break up into smaller entities. We are working now to better understand the impacts of this biology in Ewing sarcoma and how we can take advantage of it therapeutically, Dr. Bishop said. Dr. Bishop joined UT Health San Antonio in 2005. He is an associate professor in the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy of the Long School of Medicine, is a researcher in the universitys Greehey Institute, and is a member of the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson. Funding for the UT Health San Antonio investigators is from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Nucleolar RNA polymerase II drives ribosome biogenesis Karim Mekhail, Karan Abraham, Negin Khosraviani, Janet Chan, Aparna Gorthi, Anas Samman, Dorothy Zhao, Miling Wang, Michael Bokros, Elva Vidya, Lauren Ostrowski, Roxanne Oshidari, Violena Pietrobon, Parasvi Patel, Arash Algouneh, Rajat Singhania, Yupeng Liu, V Yerlici, Daniel de Carvalho, Michael Ohh, Brendan Dickson, Razq Hakem, Jack Greenblatt, Stephen Lee, Alexander Bishop First published: July 15, 2020, Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2497-0 # # # The Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is named for Texas philanthropists Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long. The school is the largest educator of physicians in South Texas, many of whom remain in San Antonio and the region to practice medicine. The school teaches more than 900 students and trains 800 residents each year. As a beacon of multicultural sensitivity, the school annually exceeds the national medical school average of Hispanic students enrolled. The schools clinical practice is the largest multidisciplinary medical group in South Texas with 850 physicians in more than 100 specialties. The school has a highly productive research enterprise where world leaders in Alzheimers disease, diabetes, cancer, aging, heart disease, kidney disease and many other fields are translating molecular discoveries into new therapies. The Long School of Medicine is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center known for prolific clinical trials and drug development programs, as well as a world-renowned center for aging and related diseases. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also referred to as UT Health San Antonio, is one of the countrys leading health sciences universities and is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. With missions of teaching, research, patient care and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have graduated more than 37,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields, and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways We make lives better, visit www.uthscsa.edu. Stay connected with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump is facing backlash on Twitter for sharing a picture of her holding a can of beans in support of Goya Foods the company that attracted a social media boycott trend after CEO Robert Unanue's effusive praise for US President Donald Trump at an event last week. According to ABC News, Unanue had said, "We're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder, and that's what my grandfather did," said Unanue, who runs the New Jersey-based business. He further added, "We pray for our leadership, our President, and we pray for our country that we will continue to prosper and to grow." Goya Foods, which is quite popular among the Latino Americans and is the largest Hispanic-owned US food company, sparked controversies as a large population of Americans considered Trump's policies towards the Hispanic people racist and discriminatory. Following Unanue's praise, an immigrant youth-led social media group, United We Dream, also launched an online boycott petition claiming Unanue had "aligned the Goya brand with Trump's white supremacist agenda". "If Goya wants our business, they must respect and fight for our humanity," the group said as per the ABC report. This was only fueled more with Ivanka Trump's promoting Goya Foods. After President Trump tweeted about his love for Goya, his daughter followed up the same late Tuesday by tweeting a photo, holding a can of Goya Beans and saying, "If its Goya, it has to be good. Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno." If its Goya, it has to be good. Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno. pic.twitter.com/9tjVrfmo9z Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 15, 2020 The hashtags #Goyaway and #BoycottGoya soon began trending on Twitter, with netizens taking to her post to express their disregard for her through harsh allegations and memes. Many even pointed out how she is violating a law of 'United States Office of Government Ethics' that states: Executive branch employees may not use their Government positions to suggest that the agency or any part of the executive branch endorses an organization (including a nonprofit organization), product, service, or person. Why is a senior White House official endorsing a food product? Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 15, 2020 This family will sell ANYTHING The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) July 15, 2020 If it's Ivanka, it has to be vapid, feckless, insincere, and complicit. You never even held a can of Goya before your racist dad #RecklessTrump decided he needed a distraction.Stop worrying about the Goya.Start worrying about the DEAD.pic.twitter.com/dDcc9Sb6IW BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) July 15, 2020 Goya fuck yourself. Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) July 15, 2020 Omg! Ivanka is using her official position paod by tax payers, whatever that is, to advertise a product. Is she getting paid for this by @GoyaFoods ? Will Trump's white nationalist base who wanted kids in cages and stolen from their parents actually buy the product? Olga Lautman (@olgaNYC1211) July 15, 2020 Youre kidding me, right? No ethics left in this White House on issues big or small. Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) July 15, 2020 According to reports, Unanue said that he was not going to apologise for his statement and cited freedom of speech in his defense. However, the White House has defended Ivanka Trump tweeting of the photo stating that she had "every right" to publicly express her supports, reports The Guardian. Opposition groups contend Ivanka Trumps action is an indication of how the president and those surrounding him often "blur the line between politics and governing." "Only the media and the cancel culture movement would criticize Ivanka for showing her personal support for a company that has been unfairly mocked, boycotted and ridiculed for supporting this administration one that has consistently fought for and delivered for the Hispanic community," said White House spokesperson Carolina Hurley. Two fighters of the anti-Rwanda militia group known as the Conseil national pour la renaissance et la democratie (CNRD) were captured by the DR Congo army on Monday, July 13, according to a Congolese online publication. According to the publication, 'Col' Christophe Bolingo and his escort were captured in Kalehe territory, in South Kivu Province. The two were captured along with three assault rifles. Last year, the DR Congo army stepped up an offensive against Rwandan terror groups in an ongoing effort to rout all foreign armed militias based there. By the end of 2019, the Congolese army had captured and forced more than 2,000 anti-Rwanda militia fighters and their dependents to repatriate. The CNRD is one of the groups that parted ways with FDLR, an offshoot of the forces that crossed into DR Congo after slaughtering more than a million people during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in 2016. The CNRD is led by former FDLR vice president 'Lt Gen' Laurent Ndagijimana, alias, Wilson Irategeka or Rumbago. Its military wing, FLN, is led by 'Lt Gen' Habimana Hamada. "There are no announcements to be made about that today. That shouldn't be read to mean there will be announcements made tomorrow. We plan for every single contingency. It's too early for us to be moving to a whole new stage. This is in the hands of every single Victorian, though. "If you want to make that less likely, you want to get out of these sort of restrictions as fast as possible, then we all have to play our part and not rely on our doctors and nurses as the last line of ultimate defence against this virus, but instead acknowledge we're the ones on the front line." Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Credit:Jason South Professor Sutton said he expected Victoria's numbers to plateau as a result of the stage three restrictions in the next "couple of days". "But we cannot be complacent and expect that's going to happen automatically," the Chief Health Officer said. Loading The Victorian reproduction number - the number of people, on average, that one infected person will subsequently infect - is dropping to be close to 1, according to Professor Sutton. Authorities aim to limit this number to be less than one in order to prevent exponential growth in cases, "This is a good sign," he said. 160 outbreaks being monitored in Victoria, aged care concern Victoria is monitoring about 160 outbreaks, Professor Sutton said, including 27 aged care outbreaks although some of the 160 are no longer active. Urging caution throughout Victoria, Professor Sutton said the idea that 29 deaths in Victoria was minor compared to an average flu season was "absurd" and said Victoria could experience 1000 deaths a day if restrictions were fully lifted. "The idea that 29 deaths is nothing, and that we can lift all restrictions and that we can let it run, is absurd," he said. "It's an exponential growth in cases when there aren't restrictions in place. If we can drive numbers right down, and if we can follow them through a test and trace procedure, we can avoid all the worst outcomes of this virus." Victoria has 109 coronavirus patients in hospital, up from 105 on Wednesday, and 2128 active cases. Victoria's new case numbers have see-sawed in recent days: the state recorded 177 on Monday, 270 on Tuesday and 238 on Wednesday. Of Thursday's 317 cases, eight were linked to the JBS abattoir in Brooklyn, taking the total for that cluster to 29. The facility is closed indefinitely and about 1200 workers are in self-isolaiton. A cluster at Somerville meatworks in Tottenham grew by four to 37. All residents from Menarock Life aged care in Essendon have been moved to acute care in hospital after an outbreak of staff and residents from the facility reached 31, up two from Wednesday. Glendare aged care in Werribee has 23 cases and Estia aged care in Ardeer has 21 cases. Professor Sutton said more aged care outbreaks were occurring in Victoria's second wave because of a higher rate of community transmission that was infecting workers across Melbourne. "I don't think moving residents out who are infected is always the control measure that is required," he said. Loading "The primary thing is to never have infection introduced in the first place ... We need to focus on making sure the staff who are turning up positive are excluding themselves at the very first symptom." Professor Sutton said aged care facilities had been asked to limit the number of staff working across multiple sites in response to cases where one individual worker had unknowingly introduced coronavirus to more than one facility. Some elective surgery paused in Melbourne The government will pause all category three elective surgery, such as hip and knee replacements, at metropolitan Melbourne hospitals in preparation for a surge of coronavirus patients. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said more than 1000 spaces for ICU beds in Victoria have been created or upgraded since the start of the pandemic as part of a $1.9 billion government investment. Professor Sutton said on Wednesday that Victorias surge capacity for intensive care was up to about 2000 beds. The old Peter Mac cancer centre has undergone a $30 million refurbishment into an 84-bed intensive care department and Ms Mikakos said it would be renamed St Vincents on the Park and be managed by the nearby St Vincents Hospital. In addition, public hospital surgery capacity would be capped at 50 per cent and private hospitality capacity limited to 75 per cent. Thursday's net tally increased by 302, after 15 previous cases were reclassified. Disappointing news In early 2014 I made the decision that, as a professional in the foreign service field, I needed to finally do postgraduate studies. My eyes set to see the world, I found a two-year masters in international studies to be undertaken by scholarship in Vienna, Austria. Much to my dismay, I didnt get the scholarship and I guess you could say I was really cut up. Nevertheless, I decided to pray about it, and the peace of God that I found in this loss, was true comfort. God had assured me that he had bigger plans, and though I had no idea what they were, I was content with just knowing that. Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the LORDs purpose that prevails (Proverbs chapter 19 verse 21, NIV). A chance encounter with providence I did not know what would be next, but one day in the office, a colleague called my attention to another Government employee she was currently assisting with a visa to study in New Zealand. She basically invited me to seize this opportunity and I took some time to peruse the information. Feeling confident with what I saw, I decided to apply. I would go off on vacation to New York to attend my uncles wedding that June, and the very morning after the wedding, I awoke to the email advising that I was provisionally accepted to the University of Auckland in New Zealand. At that moment, I started to see the onset of the bigger plans that God had spoken of. I had not secured a scholarship yet, but I knew God was on to something. When I returned home, I submitted the scholarship application and in October of that year it was made crystal clear that I had secured a New Zealand Aid (NZAID) Scholarship to undertake postgraduate studies in Development at the University of Auckland. As amazing as this all was, this was very new terrain. First, I had never thought I could get a scholarship, and I never dreamed I would get to live in the astounding New Zealand. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans chapter 8, verse 28, NIV). The Journey It took me about twenty hours just to get to New Zealand, but I relished the journey. I started out on a Sunday morning and arrived in Auckland on Tuesday morning. I completely lost Monday. I was in this beautiful new place to acquire more qualifications, but little did I know that this journey would be life-changing; that it would bring me closer to God. Though I had one friend from Jamaica who considerably helped me out, I quickly began to get homesick without the fellowship of a church. Eventually, on club expo day at the university, I found the University of Auckland (UoA) Christian club and soon signed up for weekly Bible study and gospel dinners. This considerably changed my outlook and whole stay in New Zealand. Their Christian hospitality was heart-warming. My Bible study coordinator was into full-time ministry. Though she had attended the University of Auckland and attained her degrees (Bachelors and Masters) in Engineering, she explained that this was her full-time ministry. She would relentlessly take us to UoA events and just ensured we were generally okay. Eventually during my second semester, when I changed dorms, one of my hallmates heard me mention the need to find and church. She invited me to Life Church, which was a Hillsong affiliate. The first week I attended church the theme was God, Money and Me. It was basically about the importance of stewarding your money in the Kingdom. I found this very timely as God had been teaching me some new things about money/tithing before I had come to New Zealand. Needless to say, they had a Christians Against poverty (CAP) programme which I gladly took. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs Chapter 3, verses 5 6, NIV). My Lessons I learnt some important lessons about loving myself as is, without all the additions I was used to back home. Lets just say there were some things I believed to be true about my appearance and God stripped that away. I must admit that I never thought I could look great without straightened hair or make-up. These were two things that I lived without for all of nine months and now I can choose to wear make-up or not. When I do wear it, its not because of that lie I used to believe. I can now choose to go out without wearing it and feel just as beautiful. As for my hair, I chose to wear it natural and lock it. I have never felt queenlier. I realised that I am smart enough to get and maintain a scholarship and though I am still not a straight-A student, I certainly represented the Kingdom well. I would not have had that chance, I believe, had it not been ordained by God. I got the opportunity to develop my writing skills through workshops with published writers I met in New Zealand. I documented a few memorable moments from my Kiwi experience in this blog at https://jamaicankiwikim.wordpress.com/. I was able to live in a faraway land, and although there were times I literally felt like God wasnt with me because of the unfamiliar, I know that he is everywhere. I found an amazing set of believers at school and church and it became hard to leave that fellowship behind. But it wasnt just fellowship, it was truth Christian growth. I ultimately became a stronger person and I now know what God was talking about when he said he had bigger plans for me. You see, I thought New Zealand was about school, and yes it was that too, but for God, it was my pilgrimage to certain truths I needed to learn. I got to see the world from a whole new angleI got to see me from Gods eyes. It was after my return that I realised that this whole experience was my modern-day pilgrimage. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11, NIV). Taipei (AFP) - Taiwan on Thursday warned China could use the sweeping national security law it imposed on Hong Kong for "hostage diplomacy", urging democratic countries to unite against Beijing's "autocratic" expansion. The Hong Kong security law has rattled nearby self-ruled Taiwan, which China regards as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize, by force if necessary. A provision within the law claims global jurisdiction and allows China to prosecute especially serious cases instead of semi-autonomous Hong Kong's independent judiciary. The law would enable Beijing to carry out "hostage diplomacy", Chen Ming-tong, head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top China policy body, told reporters. "The national security law for Hong Kong has seriously invaded democracy and human rights to impact regional security and unnerve the international community." The law says national security offences can be prosecuted even if they take place outside Hong Kong or China and are committed by foreigners. That has raised fears that Beijing critics could face prosecution and extradition to China if they travel to or transit through Hong Kong. Chen urged democratic countries to "stand united in order to effectively counter China's expansion in an autocratic nature". Canada accused China of "hostage diplomacy" after two of its citizens were detained soon after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on a US extradition request. The two men have since been hit with spy charges. Taiwan's government now fears something similar could happen with the Hong Kong law. Beijing has taken an especially hardline towards Taiwan ever since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen because she regards the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of "one China". Taiwanese critics of Beijing have been increasingly turned away by Hong Kong authorities in recent years. Story continues Tsai, who has been critical of Beijing's clampdown against Hong Kong protesters, has warned of "countermeasures" should the new security law cause any "damage" to Taiwan. Taipei has a trade and cultural office in Hong Kong handling unofficial ties. But it has been devoid of a chief since mid-2018 as Hong Kong has yet to issue a visa amid worsening ties between Taipei and Beijing, as well as Taiwan's support for the city's pro-democracy movement. Over the years, China has used national security laws to prosecute Taiwanese nationals on the mainland. AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - Dutch brewer Heineken NV (HKHHF.PK) reported Thursday that its first-half preliminary net loss was around 150 million euros. The results will include exceptional items of around 550 million euros of impairments on tangible and intangible assets. Net profit before exceptional items and amortisation or beia declined 75.8 percent. Operating profit (beia) declined organically by 52.5 percent. The results were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. First-half net revenue (beia) declined 16.4 percent on an organic basis, driven by an organic decline of 13.4 percent in consolidated volume and 3.6 percent in net revenue (beia) per hectoliter. Beer volume declined organically by 11.5 percent. The company noted that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, as expected, deepened in the second quarter. After a low point in April, volume started to gradually recover into June as lockdowns were lifted around the world. Beer volume was most affected in the Americas and Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe regions with a decline in the mid-teens due to full lockdowns in Mexico and South Africa. This was followed by Europe with a high-single digit decline, whilst Asia Pacific showed the highest resilience driven by Vietnam. The Heineken brand reported a 2.5 percent decline. The brand grew double digits in 14 markets, including Brazil, China, the UK, Poland, Germany, Ivory Coast and South Korea. Looking ahead, HEINEKEN said it remains confident in its ability to navigate the ongoing short-term challenges, while continuing to build a bright future. HEINEKEN has a strong balance sheet as well as undrawn committed credit facilities. The company plans to announced its final first-half results on August 3. 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. Some 332 lawmakers voted for the decision. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has backed the appointment of Kyrylo Shevchenko, head of state-run Ukrgasbank, as the new governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU). On Thursday, July 16, some 332 lawmakers voted for the decision with the required minimum being 226 votes, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoZelensky decides on new NBU governor's candidacy The motion to appoint Shevchenko the country's chief banker was tabled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The nominee was endorsed by the parliament's Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy. As was reported earlier, Shevchenko, 47, had been head of Ukrgasbank for a long period. He was among several potential candidates considered by Zelensky's office after the then NBU Governor Yakiv Smolii's exit. Smolii signed a letter of resignation on July 1, 2020. The move was a result of what he claimed was long-standing political pressure. He forwarded the letter to Zelensky. Under Ukrainian law, Smolii's resignation had to be accepted by the president first and then, his technical dismissal had to be confirmed by parliament. On July 3, Ukrainian parliamentarians voted to back Smolii's exit. Prior to Shevchenko's appointment, the NBU governor's duties were performed by First Deputy Governor Kateryna Rozhkova. Shevchenko said in parliament he supported the NBU's policy of ensuring macroeconomic stability, which must contribute to economic growth. - Six lionesses aged five years each were injected with contraceptive hormones at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy - KWS said lions dominate the food chain in the parks hence there was a need to administer contraceptives to lionesses as a predation control measure - Kenyans were perturbed by the decision to control the birth of lions, arguing the wild animals were few in the country Kenyans have expressed angered after the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) administered contraceptive implants in six lionesses. The KWS said lions do dominate the food chain in the parks hence there was a need to administer contraceptives to lionesses as a predation control measure. READ ALSO: COVID-19: Health CS Mutahi Kagwe tells Kenyans seeking coronavirus tests to avoid Lancet lab KWS angers Kenyans after administering contraceptives to lionesses at Lewa Conservancy Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Zinedine Zidane lifts lid on relationship with Gareth Bale after Welshmans recent touchline antics The lionesses based at Lewa Conservancy were first immobilised by KWS veterinary medics before the birth control hormones were deployed in their bodies. "The lion reigns supreme on the food chain. To maintain this balance, KWS vet Dr. M. Mutinda, deployed a hormonal contraceptive implant (prevents conception for a year) in an immobilized five-year-old lioness at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Six lionesses will be implanted to reduce the predation of endangered species" said KWS via Twitter. Kenyans were perturbed by the decision to control the birth of lions, arguing the wild animals were few in the country. They challenged KWS to find another option of balancing the food chain and allow lions to give birth naturally and freely. KWS angers Kenyans after administering contraceptives to lionesses at Lewa Conservancy Source: Facebook The step taken by the wildlife agency was also interpreted by some netizens to mean lions were overpopulated in the country, contrary to what many think. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news Couple gives birth to triplets after 21 years of trying | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke CNN anchor Chris Cuomo lambasted Donald Trump for posting a photo to social media promoting the food company Goya after its CEO praised the president, a move that triggered backlash and calls for a boycott. Cuomo delivered the scathing remarks during his Wednesday night show, calling a photo the president posted to social media with several Goya products from behind the Resolute Desk bull**** and insisting his criticism had nothing to do with politics. Tell me how a president in the middle of a pandemic has got time for this bull****, the anchor begins, pointing the photo of a smiling Mr Trump with two thumbs up, grinning behind cans of beans and coconut milk. Are you kidding me? Hocking products? Goya, I dont care who it is. Resolute Desk? This is what hes resolute about? Mr Trump posted the photo to his Instagram page after Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue received mounting criticism for comments he made in a press conference earlier this month, in which he said the country was truly blessed to have a leader like Mr Trump, calling the president a builder and adding: Thats what my grandfather did, he came to this country to build, to grow, to prosper and we pray, we pray for our leadership, our president, and we pray for our country. The statement led to fierce backlash against Goya, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the US, with actor Lin-Manuel Miranda writing in a tweet: We learned to bake bread in this pandemic, we can learn to make our own adobo con pimienta. Bye." Ivanka Trump also posted a photo to social media holding a can of Goya black beans, writing in a caption: If its Goya, it has to be good. She also included the Spanish translation: Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno. Both the president and his daughters posts were immediately met with questions about potential ethical violations and conflicts of interest. Pandemic priorities? Mr Cuomo said. Are you kidding me? Marketing for a brand following calls for boycotts after Goyas CEO heaped praise on Trump last week. On your dime. In the middle of a pandemic. He added: Theyre selling beans? Are you kidding me? Seriously, seriously: This is not left and right. This is reasonable my brothers and sisters. The guy is sitting on the Resolute Desk with a bunch of Goya products! The TV anchor wasnt the only one sounding the alarm over the photos. Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote in a tweet: Had I done this while working at the White House during the Obama administration, I would have been fired , probably on the same day, but surely by the following day. In a Washington Post Op-Ed, Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics, wrote: Ivanka Trumps posts violated an executive branch ethics regulation prohibiting employees from misusing their official positions to endorse commercial products. As a pictorial representation of the Trump administrations war on government ethics, both photos are perfectly clear. They scream the rules dont apply to us, a central message of the Trump administration from the start. BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian public services holding company Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM) said on Wednesday it has issued $750 million (594.91 million) in bonds on the international market and will use the proceeds to strengthen its liquidity and financial position during the coronavirus pandemic. The bonds were issued in two tranches, including 635 billion pesos ($175 million) in reopened EPM bonds due in 2027, and another tranche of $575 million that will mature in 2031. The bond issue received an investment grade rating, matching that of EPM's, from Fitch Ratings and Moody's. "The results of the placement reflect local and international investors' confidence in EPM's financial strength, even amid the world economy's current uncertain circumstances due to effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic," said EPM general manager Alvaro Guillermo Rendon. "The organization has built a solid position in international financial markets since its first bond issue in 2009, based on transparency of information," Rendon said in a statement. The bond issue drew demand from investors based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Colombia, Chile and Peru. EPM is a public services company which operates household utilities including water, energy and natural gas in Medellin and more than 100 municipalities in Antioquia province, where it serves 3.6 million inhabitants. The company is building the Hidroituango hydroelectric plant in northeast Colombia, which has faced delays due to heavy rains and the instability of the terrain. ($1 = 3,631.54 pesos) (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Richard Pullin) In one of the strangest incidents, a Japanese woman visited a doctor complaining of a soar throat, only to find out that there's a worm wriggling inside her tonsil. According to a report in The Guardian, doctors at the St Lukes International Hospital, Tokyo, found the worm to be still alive after removing it with a pair of tweezers from the left tonsil of the 25-year-old woman. The 38 mm (1.5 inches) long worm was identified as a nematode roundworm one of several parasites infect people after consuming raw fish or meat. As per a case study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the worm when removed was in the fourth stage of its larva, while the infection was caused by its third-stage larva, which was present in a sashimi dish consumed by the woman five days prior to the operation. ALSO READ: 23-Year-Old Woman Had a 6-Inch Live Worm Removed from Her Brain However, medics and scientists have stated that there has been a rise in the number of such incidents after the consumption of sushi and other raw or undercooked fish and seafood dishes has gained popularity worldwide. A CNN report states the illness caused by eating parasite-contaminated fish or seafood is called Anisakiasis. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 16, 2020) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQX: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be conducting a Town Hall Webinar on Monday, July 20, 2020 at 11:00 am EST. Trey Wasser, President and CEO, will update shareholders on recent Ely Gold transactions, its Key Assets and the importance of its focus on North America and the Company's growth strategy to become a premier gold royalty company. The Webinar will be interactive and will be hosted by Follow the Money Investment Group. All stakeholders and interested investors are welcome to tune in and participate with questions. The playback will then be available on the Company's website. To participate in the Town Hall Webinar please register here: https://www.bigmarker.com/ftmig1/Ely-Gold-Royalties-Investor-Update?utm_bmcr_source=Press About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Nevada focused gold royalty company. Its current portfolio includes royalties on the Jerritt Canyon, Goldstrike and Marigold, three of Nevada's largest gold mines, as well as the Fenelon mine in Quebec, operated by Wallbridge Mining. The Company continues to actively seek opportunities to purchase producing or near-term producing royalties. Ely Gold also generates development royalties through property sales on projects that are located at or near producing mines. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to locate and purchase third-party royalties, its strategy of organically creating royalties and its gold focus, Ely Gold offers shareholders a favourable leverage to gold prices and low-cost access to long-term gold royalties in safe mining jurisdictions. About Follow the Money Investment Group Follow the Money Investor Group is an investor focused digital marketing company that provides the content and information needed for investors to navigate the ever-changing capital markets. Our global community uses our platform to discuss and collaborate daily on all facets of their current and potential investments. Our goal is to help retail investors make the right financial decisions that fit their individual needs. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647 964 0292 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59887 By Ayya Lmahamad SOCAR will resume oil transportation via Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline starting July 17 this year, local media reported with reference to companys Deputy Head of Public Relations Ibrahim Ahmedov on July 16. According to the statement, company plans to transport 585,000 tons through the Baku- Novorossiysk pipeline in 2020. It should be noted that last year 824,000 tons of oil was transported through this pipeline, which is by 36.5 percent less than in 2018. Transportation of oil through Baku- Novorossiysk pipeline was suspended in January for technical reasons. Filling the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline with oil started in October 1996. Maximum capacity of the pipeline is 105,000 barrels per day. Pipeline has 3 pump stations - Sangachal, Sumgayit and Siyazan. Diameter of the pipeline is 530 mm, and length of the pipeline is 1,330 km, out of which 231 km is Azerbaijani part. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis was outraised nearly 3-to-1 by his Democratic challenger in the last quarter, according to campaign reports that signal a more precarious reelection bid for the Republican in the presidential battleground state. Cal Cunninghams campaign took in a whopping $7.4 million in the second quarter, compared to $2.6 million by Tillis, according to filings due late Wednesday at the Federal Election Commission. The two campaigns were essentially tied with cash in their coffers starting July 1 Tillis had almost $6.9 million and Cunningham $6.6 million. The fundraising for Tillis slightly more than what he collected in the first quarter contrasts with Cunningham, whose campaign said he took in the largest quarterly haul ever raised by a North Carolina Senate candidate. The fundraising period began April 1, during the depths of North Carolinas COVID-19 stay-at-home order and weeks after both candidates won their respective primaries. The money chase results could indicate trouble for Tillis, who is one of a handful of Senate Republicans considered vulnerable this fall. The Democrats need to net four additional seats or three seats while winning the presidency to take back control of the Senate. If you thought things couldnt get worse for Sen. Tillis, they just did, Cunningham campaign manager Devan Barber said in a news release while crowing about the fundraising advantage. She predicted that after November, Tillis will be quickly forgotten following a failed Senate career and unbelievably weak candidacy. Tillis campaign on Thursday noted that Tillis was outraised by Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in 2014, only to win by just 46,000 votes. Tillis benefited from independent expenditure spending that attacked Hagans record, contributing to a race that at the time was the most expensive Senate race in history at $118 million. Cunningham, a former state senator, Iraq War veteran and 2010 U.S. Senate candidate, was recruited to challenge Tillis by Senate Democrats. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee endorsed Cunningham in the primary. Tillis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo said Tillis will win even if he were outspent. Voters are smart and they will reject the extreme liberal agenda that Cunningham, (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer and his deep pocketed cronies are trying to force on the people of North Carolina. Compared with 2014, Tillis is running as the incumbent during a presidential election year in which President Donald Trumps approval numbers have dropped during a pandemic and unrest over racial injustice. Trump last year endorsed Tillis, who was later one of the presidents strongest defenders during his impeachment trial and took every opportunity to hitch his wagon to Trumps. Tillis has instead emphasized consensus during the COVID-19 crisis. Among the over 50 online town halls hes held during the pandemic, Tillis praised Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers stay-at-home order and has consistently supported the wearing of face masks in public. Cunningham has blasted Tillis for failing to get enough federal COVID-19 aid and resources to North Carolina residents and local governments. Hes returned consistently to health care. On a conference call last week, Cunningham repeated that Tillis helped pass a law while state House speaker that blocked expansion of Medicaid that could have allowed hundreds of thousands of people to have coverage now. North Carolina remains one of about a dozen states that hasnt accepted expansion. Its clear that the occupant of this Senate seat has not served the people of North Carolina when weve needed it the most, Cunningham said in a newspaper op-ed this month. Im ready to put this seat back to work. Tillis has pitched a more personal and populist message during the general election campaign, reminding people that he lived in a trailer park while a youth and who worked to become a partner at IBM. He said the strong economy before the COVID-19 crisis will win over voters. I know were going to win because people remember how good their lives were in February, Tillis said at last weeks virtual state GOP convention. The two candidates have agreed to three televised debates, but Tillis has wanted more. [music] michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: In major cities across the U.S., gun violence is surging just as activists are calling to defund the police. My colleague, Ashley Southall, on how that is playing out in New York City. Its Monday, August 24. Ashley, what has been the story of crime in New York City up until this moment? ashley southall So around the 70s and 80s, we saw crime start to really rise in New York. And we went through the drug war, the crack epidemic. And in the 90s, we saw crime sort of peak all across the United States, but especially in New York. And there were thousands of murders each year and even more shootings. But as the 90s wore on, and into the 2000s archived recording The crime rate in this country is continuing to fall. The F.B.I. reported today that violent crime fell 5.5 percent last year. Thats three years in a row now. ashley southall we saw crime decline. And there was a strong decline for years, to the point where we were having just hundreds of murders a year. archived recording 1 The N.Y.P.D. says there have been 289 murders this year. Thats down from a peak of more than 2,200 in 1990. archived recording 2 Crime in New York City dropping yet again, this time to levels not seen since Harry Truman was president. archived recording 3 Police admit its probably the worst kept secret in the city, that New York is now the safest big city in America. ashley southall And the question was when was New York going to reach bottom? archived recording 1 Breaking news on this Sunday night. archived recording 2 Crime is up across the city. Thats according to the latest numbers released by the N.Y.P.D. this archived recording 3 The N.Y.P.D. now having to adapt to a noticeable rise in crime since the beginning of the year. ashley southall At the beginning of the year, we started to see crime rise over several categories. Then in June, we see it really take off. archived recording 1 It has been a violent weekend in New York City. archived recording 2 The N.Y.P.D. investigating a spree of shootings on this first official weekend of summer. archived recording 3 More than a dozen people were shot between Friday night and Saturday morning. ashley southall And in July, the trend seems to just accelerate. archived recording 1 Nine victims fatally shot tonight across four boroughs. archived recording 2 Deadly shootings started just before 1:00 this morning in Brooklyn and continued throughout the day in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. ashley southall So that by the end of the month, wed had more shootings this year than all of last year. [sirens blaring] And we still have five months to go. michael barbaro Mhm. I guess we should acknowledge, Ashley, that there is a siren behind you, which has nothing to do with this conversation. Its just what it means to live in New York. ashley southall Yeah. Im five blocks from a hospital. So its part of the soundtrack of my everyday life. michael barbaro So at this point, there are meaningfully more shootings and meaningfully more murders. So Ashley, how should we think about the causes of this? What exactly is going on here? I think for a lot of people, the instinct might be to think that this is somehow related to this moment in American policing this forceful rejection of how policing has occurred, the protests against it and the response of police to those protests. ashley southall I mean, sure, its easy to think that because its right in front of us. It almost seems obvious. But its really much more complex. And there are really three big theories about whats happening. The one that has the most consensus around it is that the pandemic is exacerbating longstanding problems of gun violence and particularly unemployment. There are a lot of people with no jobs and nothing to do. And people are sinking deeper into poverty, which creates a greater desperation. And theres also a lot of illegal guns in New York City. And thats a really combustible situation. michael barbaro Well, what do you mean? How does that work? ashley southall What weve long known in New York City is that a small number of people are responsible for the vast majority of the violence. And those are people who are largely in gangs and crews, particularly in public housing. And those groups compete in normal times. Some gangs sell drugs. And they have turf that they cover. But when you have a pandemic hit that causes lots of unemployment, theres less people buying drugs. And so theres less of a market. And when you have less of a market, that increases the competition. So then you have these violent gangs fighting more fiercely for less of a pie. michael barbaro OK. So under this theory that the pandemic is exacerbating existing problems in the city, that explains the pandemics effect on the people doing the shooting. What about the effect the pandemic had on the police? ashley southall Immediately what we saw was officers being removed from duty because of the virus. We had thousands of officers calling out sick every day. And at the height of the pandemic, almost 20 percent of the force was out sick because of the virus. michael barbaro Wow. ashley southall And that had two effects. On-the-street officers, their presence is a deterrent to violence. Youre probably not going to shoot somebody with a officer standing right there watching you. michael barbaro Right. ashley southall But if theres no officer, theres no real deterrent. And then, after a shooting occurs, theres an investigation. In the police department, detectives work in these squad rooms where theyre very close together. Theyre practically breathing on top of each other. So if one of them gets sick, then theres a chance that everybodys sick. So they all go out sick, and investigations come to a halt. Well, thats a problem. Because one shooting often leads to another shooting, whether that person continues shooting rivals, or whether someone is now looking for him. And its almost always a him. So when you have cases that cant be investigated, that means that the ones that can be solved arent being solved and that that pattern of violence continues uninterrupted. michael barbaro All right. Thats the first theory, that the pandemic is both fueling more shootings and sidelining the officers who could potentially prevent those shootings. Ashley, what is the second theory of why crime is going up in New York? ashley southall Well, you touched on this earlier. We had massive protests break out in May after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, just as police were coming back from the virus. That required resources. We saw in those early days, the police deployed about 4,000 officers to the protest. But there was rampant looting in some parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. And they had to double the force to about 8,000 police officers. So that meant that officers have to come from somewhere. And they typically come from the streets. And some of them come from detective squads. So that means that fewer police resources are involved in investigating shootings. And there are less officers in the neighborhoods where shootings are more likely to occur. michael barbaro And how do the protests themselves play into this theory? ashley southall Amid these protests, you start to see a political response to the demands to reform the police. archived recording (dermot f. shea) Within the last hour, I just chaired a meeting of senior executives of the police department. ashley southall And one of those changes was to disband the anti-crime units. archived recording (dermot f. shea) It is regarding the deployment of precinct level and P.S.A. level anti-crime units. These are the plainclothes units that operate our traditional anti-crime. michael barbaro And explain what an anti-crime unit is. ashley southall Anti-crime officers are the main group responsible for getting guns off the street in New York City. And they confiscated thousands of guns each year. archived recording (dermot f. shea) The men and women of the police department were doing what I and others before me asked. They have done an exceptional job. ashley southall But they were controversial. And they became known as the jump out boys. Because what they would do sometimes is stop in their cars, get out and throw somebody up against the wall, search them, and leave without any explanation or finding any weapons. And it had led to a lot of tension between police and communities of color. archived recording (dermot f. shea) And it is lost on no one, certainly not the people that live in the neighborhoods that we serve, that endure being stopped, or their children being stopped. ashley southall But what was also problematic about anti-crime is that they were involved in a lot of police-involved shootings. michael barbaro And why exactly is that? ashley southall Because anti-crime officers are trained to look for guns. Theyre looking for violent people. And so in expecting violence, they are prepared to use it. And the calculation was that New York City could not afford to have a police-involved shooting at that time. So the commissioner had been thinking about this, about disbanding anti-crime for a long time. archived recording (dermot f. shea) Effective immediately, we will be transitioning those units, roughly 600 people citywide, into a variety of assignments, including detective bureau, neighborhood policing and other assignments. ashley southall And finally, he made the decision in June to pull the plug. archived recording (dermot f. shea) Its a big move when you look at, culturally, how we police this city. And what we always struggle with, I believe, as police executives, is not keeping crime down. Its keeping crime down and keeping the community working with us. And I think those two things at times have been at odds. We can do it better. We can do it smarter. And we will. michael barbaro Is there a feeling, Ashley, that disbanding this unit, at a time when gun violence is going up, has contributed to the increase in shootings and in murders? ashley southall Theres certainly a sense that removing anti-crime officers from the street and publicly announcing that has let people who carry guns and who are also involved in violence know that theres no one there to stop them. And one of the things that weve seen as shootings and murders have risen, is that gun arrests have declined. And since the anti-crime unit was disbanded, shootings have only continued to go up. michael barbaro And under this second theory, thats centered around the rule of these protests in the rise of crime, what role does the actual frustration at the heart of these protests play here the mistrust on the side of the protesters toward the police? ashley southall Well, theres always been a level of mistrust of police in communities that experience higher levels of crime. Because they have experienced aggressive policing in the past. But what happens when you have a death like George Floyd thats captured on video, where hes saying the last words of Eric Garner, who died here six years ago, is that those old wounds are scratched again and they reopen. And that mistrust for a while is laid bare again. You know, that can manifest as people not calling the police or not seeking them out to help with the problem. And one of the things that the police have said is that they had people who were cooperating with shooting and murder investigations before the protests who have now backed out. Because they dont want to have anything to do with the police. And that makes it harder to solve crimes that might lead to future ones, like shootings. michael barbaro And what about the police side of this equation, this message of the protests? How are officers in New York City, from your reporting, internalizing this message and reacting to it, and perhaps changing their behavior and their approach in response in ways that might be fueling all of this? ashley southall So when you talk to the cops, or even if you listen to the things that top brass say, what cops take from the protests and the political response is that their work isnt valuable. And nobody supports them. That the city doesnt have their backs. And so what were seeing is that, in moments where police might have been proactive in making an arrest or in intervening in a situation that could spiral into violence, theyre actually standing down. One of the examples that people often give to me is that there are these barbecues and street parties that go late into the night. Usually the police would break them up. But instead, theyre going on well past midnight to 2:00, 4:00, sometimes even 6:00 a.m. And the police arent doing anything about it. And what weve seen in some instances is that those parties often lead to a shooting. And one or more people get hurt or are killed. michael barbaro And the cops youre talking to are telling you, yeah, were hesitant to engage with these kinds of situations right now. ashley southall Yeah. I mean, think about it from the perspective of the cop on the street who, hes thinking, you know, well, the public doesnt want me here. And if I step into a situation where I think someone might have a gun or this thing could get out of control, then I could be arrested. And then thats the end of my career, and I cant support my family. Thats a very scary thing for cops. michael barbaro But Im curious, Ashley, if in your reporting you get the sense that, on some level, this may be police saying to the protesters, OK, so youre so disgusted by us, and you are making all these demands for budget cuts to fund the police. Do you want to know what the world would look like if you get your vision implemented? Well, here, well give you a taste of it. We will not go in and break up the barbecue. We will not make the arrest. In other words, is there some form of kind of protest going on by the police of the work that they typically do in order to say to the public, this is what it would be like if you get what protesters out on the streets are demanding? ashley southall It certainly seems that in some way the cops are responding in a way that almost seems flippant. You want to abolish the police? You want to defund the police? Well, this is what it looks like when you dont have the police. And there is a prevailing sense that cops are stepping back to prove that they are, in fact, necessary. michael barbaro Ashley, it doesnt seem like theres a ton of debate around these two theories that you have laid out here the role of the pandemic and the role of the protests against police. Do I have that right? ashley southall Yeah. Theres a lot of agreement on the role of the pandemic and also the effect of the protests. But the third theory is where theres a lot of debate. And its heated. michael barbaro Well be right back. OK. So Ashley, tell me about this third theory about why crime in New York City is rising, and why is that theory such a source of disagreement. ashley southall So the third theory is one advanced almost exclusively by the New York Police Department itself. And that theory is that a couple of measures taken by both the city and the state over the last few years first with criminal justice reform and then through some of the steps theyve taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus that those measures are contributing to putting people back out onto the street who have not just engaged in criminal activity, but who are also violent. michael barbaro I wonder if you can break those two things down. Maybe start with the criminal justice reforms. Whats the theory there? ashley southall So last year, the New York state legislature passed a bail law archived recording (andrew cuomo) The old system was too reliant on cash. ashley southall that allowed more people to get out of jail while their cases were winding through the courts. archived recording (andrew cuomo) The old system was if you were rich and you could pay bail, youd get out. If you were poor and you couldnt pay bail, you went to jail. ashley southall And in most cases, people who are assigned bail do make bail. But it takes some time. And being in jail for a day, two days, a week, a month, can have serious consequences for peoples lives. They lose their job. They lose their housing. And they might even lose custody of their kids. michael barbaro Right. ashley southall And thats all before the case is resolved. So the bail law was intended to fix this problem that was largely affecting poor people in communities of color. archived recording (andrew cuomo) It was never supposed to be about money. The whole justice system was not supposed to be about whos rich, whos poor. ashley southall But what the theory is now, at least from the police department, is that that law put more people onto the streets who were not only criminal, but are also violent. The police commissioner, Dermot Shea, hes gone after this bail law ever since he became commissioner and predicted that it would cause a rise in crime. archived recording (dermot f. shea) When you have individuals that are standing before a judge and immediately being released, and essentially everyone in the room knows that this person is a danger to the community, I think we need to look at the system and make sure that judges can make common sense decisions. michael barbaro So because that law was passed last year and is being implemented now, the theory here is that a criminal justice reform with a good intention, right, of not making people buy their freedom before their charges even get processed by the court, may result in more people who might be violent, who might do something like get involved in a shooting, being out of prison and on the street. ashley southall Thats exactly right. And the second part of this theory is that the measures undertaken to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the citys jails and in the state prison system have also put more violent people onto the streets. archived recording (bill de blasio) Well everyone, I want to talk about what we all will be doing and will need to do to make these adjustments and to deal with our new reality. Were seeing milestones in the growth of this disease that are just absolutely staggering. Things we could not have imagined. ashley southall So as the coronavirus was spreading, the city started thinking about who it could release from its jails. archived recording (bill de blasio) In the course of this evening, I will be given results of an effort by Department of Corrections and N.Y.P.D., and our mayors office for criminal justice, to review a list of approximately 200 inmates for a potential release. Those individuals will be released tomorrow. We hope to make decisions on them very quickly. But this process ashley southall And so the argument is that some of these people who have been coming back onto the streets are involved in the shootings and some of the murders that we are seeing on the streets today. michael barbaro Is there evidence to support that? Because my sense is that the bail reform deliberately avoided letting violent people or allegedly violent people out. And the Covid-19 mitigation plans also attempted to avoid letting out violent people. So is there any evidence that people charged with violent crimes were let out through either of those measures? ashley southall Not really. The problem with this theory is that the N.Y.P.D.s own data dont really support what they say. archived recording (alexandria ocasio-cortez) At first, the N.Y.P.D., they went out and they said, OK, this uptick in crime is happening because of bail reform. ashley southall And sometimes the data contradict them. This is something thats been noted by critics including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is, of course, a congresswoman representing part of the Bronx and Queens. archived recording (alexandria ocasio-cortez) They just released data a couple weeks ago that showed that out of almost all the people who have committed crimes, et cetera, almost none have been re-released due to the bail reform. So why is this uptick in crime happening? Well, do we think this has to do with the fact that theres record unemployment in the United States right now? The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession? ashley southall The police departments data doesnt establish a connection between the people who are out there shooting other people and the people who are getting out on bail. There are some examples of people who have been released who have been rearrested on a gun charge. But the police havent provided any evidence linking them to shootings in any kind of substantial way. Its mostly been, like, an anecdote here or there, but no consistent pattern. michael barbaro And Ashley, what about the release of people from places like Rikers Island, that famous New York City prison, because of Covid-19? Has there been any evidence that has led to the surge in shootings and murders? ashley southall So this theory plays out similar to the one about bail. And once again, we have a situation where the N.Y.P.D.s own data does not show a strong connection between those people and the violence the police are trying to pin on them. michael barbaro So Ashley, you have laid out these three theories. And the first two seem like theres a sort of interplay between them. That people are increasingly desperate and out of work because of the pandemic, and with cops out sick, the shootings were escalating even further. And then the protests started, and people were reluctant to engage with the police at the same time that the police were reluctant to engage with the community. And Im mindful that one of the things that seems to support these first two theories is that all these forces were also at play in the other cities around America where we have seen rising unrest in recent months. Other cities with historic issues between police and communities of color so Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle. Whereas bail reform and prisoner release, those are factors that are specific to New York. But even so, I have to think that regardless of the explanation for the rise in crime, that it gives critics of the defund movement an argument for opposing that move. Right? They can make the case that a moment where shootings and murders are up is a pretty bad time to cut funding for traditional policing. So do you feel like the fact that these numbers are going up is going to make the case for defunding the police in New York City harder? Is that what youre seeing? ashley southall On the one hand, yes, because no politician wants to be the person who takes money away from the police department while more people are getting shot, and more people are dying, and dying from violence that is preventable. The police presence is supposed to deter violence. And youre taking money away from them. They dont show up. And so the violence continues. And so youre going to take the blame for that. It makes the moment inopportune. But at the same time, people point to the police failure to get a handle on shootings and murders that have been rising now for three months straight. And people see that as evidence of the failure of police to do their most basic job, which is to keep people safe. So they say, lets cut their funding and try something else. michael barbaro So this moment could actually strengthen the case for defunding the police? ashley southall Yeah. Thats it. Because its not keeping people safe in communities of color at this moment in New York City. michael barbaro Mhm. But Ashley, if you believe that the forces behind the rising crime rate are connected to the pandemic, and that situation will resolve itself in the next couple months or a year, and police could start doing their jobs again as they did before, wouldnt that be enough to keep shootings historically low like they were over the past few years? Or has something now changed that will make it difficult to go back to before? ashley southall I wish I could go back in the past and kind of do some tweaks to tell you what it might look like if things had played out differently, if there had been no pandemic and no protests. But I cant. What I can tell you is that even before these events, the police recognized that there was a really big impediment to fighting crime. And that was a broken trust between the police, and particularly communities of color, that was decades in the making. Commissioner Shea, in disbanding anti-crime, acknowledged that although they were effective in getting guns off the streets, their tactics were sometimes harmful. And that was counterproductive to building the kind of public confidence the police need to have people not only reporting crimes because remember, not all crimes are reported to the police and many people dont report crime at all it also keeps people from helping the police to solve crimes. Repairing that trust was paramount before the pandemic, before any protests, and its only gotten worse. And so its not going to be an easy fix. michael barbaro So what youre saying is that the crime rate, the number of shootings and the number of murders reported, has not necessarily been a great reflection of whether policing in New York is actually working. In fact, it might have been a pretty misleading number to begin with because of these deeper root issues that have been there during that period of quote, unquote low crime. So going back to before is a kind of flawed way of thinking about this. ashley southall Thats right. In this moment, we see these wild cards the pandemic and the protests exacerbating the factors that already fuel gun violence. But even before those came into play and up till now, were talking about a very small group of people who carry guns. And the research shows that they do so because they feel caught between two worlds that make them feel unsafe. One is the violence in their communities, whether it be conflicts between gangs with rivalries or crews in neighboring housing projects that have beefs. They also feel unsafe around the police. They feel at any moment they could be targeted, that they could be a George Floyd or an Eric Garner. So there is no one in their lives who they feel can protect them. And so they pick up a gun to do it for themselves. So pandemic or no pandemic, protests or no protests, ultimately its the problems in their lives that need to be addressed. And what the experts will tell you is that policing, even with reforms, is just one part of a very large puzzle. michael barbaro Ashley, thank you very much. I really appreciate it. ashley southall Thanks for having me. michael barbaro Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. archived recording (louis dejoy) As we head into the election season, I want to assure this committee and the American public that the postal service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nations election mail securely and on time. michael barbaro In testimony before Congress, the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, said he was confident that the U.S. Postal Service could handle a major surge in voting by mail this fall, despite the cost-cutting plans that he has put in place, which have slowed delivery across the country. archived recording (louis dejoy) We deliver 433 million pieces of mail a day, so 150 million ballots, 160 million ballots over the course of a week is a very, very small amount. Adequate capacity. michael barbaro Nevertheless, over the weekend, the House of Representatives passed emergency legislation that would block DeJoys changes and inject $25 billion dollars into the Postal Service before the election. archived recording (carolyn b. maloney) This is not a partisan issue. It makes absolutely no sense to implement these dramatic changes in the middle of a pandemic less than three months before the November elections. The American people do not want anyone messing with the Post Office. michael barbaro Demi Moore has addressed her carpeted bathroom after fans criticised the questionable home decor choice. Last week, the actress shared a glimpse of her bathroom turned office, where she recorded her new erotic podcast Dirty Diana, on Twitter. In the photos, Moore can be seen sitting on a floral-printed couch in the middle of the wall-to-wall carpeted bathroom - prompting immediate reactions of confusion and horror on social media. I have seen a lot of questionable home decor in my short life, but nothing quite like Demi Moores bathroom, one fan tweeted. One word: CARPET. On Tuesday, during a virtual appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Ghost actress defended the home furnishing. Calling in while sitting on the floral couch, Moore explained that the carpeting wasnt actually her decision, but rather her ex-husband Bruce Williss. That originally was a Bruce Willis choice, not to put it off on him, Moore said of the Idaho house where the couple raised their children. The 57-year-old also acknowledged that climate played a part in the decision, telling Meyers: We also live in the mountains where it gets very cold. So, its never bothered me, its actually quite good. We put rugs in our bathroom! she added. Despite the criticism, Moore said she has enjoyed the public interest in her home decor choices. I appreciate the interest that has gone into all of my little oddities because this place definitely houses a lot of my treasures, she said. I have had some big laughs over the comments with my family. While the mother-of-three seemed to find the comments about her home decor choices amusing, she did point out that there was one detail she was most disappointed that people seemed to overlook - that the couch in question was actually a miniature couch. Recommended Demi Moore and Lena Dunham to star in erotic podcast Explaining that she couldnt fit full-sized furniture into the bathroom, Moore said that she instead relied on the miniature couch she made for my children long ago. So I just whipped this baby in there, she said. As for why she decided to record her podcast in the bathroom in the first place, Moore revealed that the room had the best sound. We were doing this podcast, that were here to talk about, and we had to find the place for the best sound, she said. So I did a test in my closet, I did in various places. What came back is that the bathroom had the best sound. When Chris Grayling entered the Macmillan Room in the House of Commons on Wednesday, he thought his election as chairman of the intelligence and security committee was a mere formality. But the ex-minister, to whose political career the word hapless has been frequently attached, failed to notice a half-smile on the face of fellow Tory MP Julian Lewis. Then Grayling saw the ballot paper bearing Lewiss name next to his. He had been ambushed. Lewiss audacious manoeuvre could have come straight from the pages of the novel, A Very British Coup, by Chris Mullin. The book, twice turned into a TV series, charts the unlikely rise to Prime Minister of backbench Left-winger Harry Perkins. Lewis demonstrated the same impeccable timing and superior intelligence gathering of Mullins hero to snatch the prestigious job from under the nose of a man nicknamed not always unfairly Failing Grayling. Frankly, it would have been a travesty if Grayling had secured the chairmanship of the vitally important committee that oversees MI5, MI6 and other security agencies. Lewis (right, pictured with Boris Johnson) is impeccably qualified for the role. Hes independent-minded, has served on the committee before, and chaired the defence select committee Parliament appoints its nine members from both the Commons and the Lords after considering nominations from the Prime Minister and discussions with the Leader of the Opposition. The chairman should command cross-party support, but Grayling, who quit the Cabinet before he was sacked after the general election, was widely suspected of being eased into the job simply to be Boris Johnsons yes man. The role requires both expertise and interest in the work of the intelligence agencies, something the ex-TV man has never demonstrated. Even the PMs own loyalists were concerned at how Graylings appointment would be perceived. One former minister told me: Downing Street should not be playing games with national security. Grayling would have been out of his depth and he would not have been scrupulously independent of the PM. After a series of calamities during his time running both the justice and transport departments, Grayling is widely seen as one of the most incompetent ministers of modern times. By contrast, Lewis is impeccably qualified for the role. Hes independent-minded, has served on the committee before, and chaired the defence select committee. When he worked for the Tory party HQs research department in the 1990s, he ran the defence and security desks. A hawkish Conservative, hes spent a lifetime opposing the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, seeing its aims as being at odds with Britains long-term security. The softly spoken Lewis is thought to be the only MP who refuses to engage with his constituents or colleagues by email In 1982, during a demonstration against the Falklands War led by socialist MP Tony Benn and miners union leader Arthur Scargill, he drowned out the speeches by playing the national anthem. He was a great conspiracist and saw reds under every bed, says a former colleague. Its why we nicknamed him Witchfinder General. A lifelong Eurosceptic, Lewis resigned from Tory HQ in 1996 because he felt John Majors government had not been sufficiently critical of the European single currency. One of his objections to the EU is the fear some would say paranoia that a federal Europe would one day be dominated by Germany. Lewiss family came to Britain from Poland at the turn of the century; many of his relatives were murdered by the Nazis. Scholarly and eccentric, the softly spoken Lewis is thought to be the only MP who refuses to engage with his constituents or colleagues by email. Letters, phone calls [and], where appropriate, surgery appointments are perfectly adequate for people who genuinely need my help, he has said. Only mass manipulative campaigners and obsessive individuals find this a problem. Then Grayling (pictured) saw the ballot paper bearing Lewiss name next to his. He had been ambushed As hes not on email, there was no paper trail this week to alert the Tory whips who enforce party discipline that the MP for New Forest East was secretly planning to seize control of the committee. Perhaps he learnt some of the darker arts of the Commons from his long-term friend and ally John Bercow, who stood down as Speaker last year. The two men were both first elected in 1997; Lewis was Bercows best man when he married Sally Illman in 2002. Born in Swansea in 1951, Julian Murray Lewis went to grammar school and Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied philosophy and politics. He later received a DPhil in strategic studies and was a Royal Navy reservist between 1979 and 1982. At 68, he is probably in his last Parliament before retirement. Having now been ejected from the Parliamentary party, the Tory whips no longer have any power to make Lewis toe the line. He is expected to prove a sharp thorn in the side of the Government; some believe he will play havoc with Boriss plans. A long-delayed report into alleged Russian interference into British politics may now be released as early as next week. Tory grandee Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former foreign secretary and past chairman of the committee, said: That post should have been filled after the election not seven months later. Julian Lewis was a distinguished member of my committee, independent, and unwilling to go with the herd. Now that independent mind could prove a serious nuisance to Boris Johnson after the PMs latest miscalculation. Wandering thunderstorms wreak havoc in the city on the island of Sicily. Firefighters in the Italian city of Palermo have worked through the night searching for people thought to have been trapped in a car in a flooded underpass after the most violent rainstorm in memory, according to local officials. The rain, which reportedly fell intensely for several hours, caused widespread flooding in Palermo on Wednesday and resulted in the hospitalisation of two small children for hypothermia, Italian news agency ANSA said. As the underpass search continued, police said they had received no report of people missing. Leoluca Orlando, mayor of Palermo on the island of Sicily, described the downpour as the most violent rain in the history of the city since at least 1790, equal to that which falls in a year. The statement does not appear to be entirely true as the annual rainfall for Palermo is approximately 615mm (24 inches) and local reports suggested that roughly 80mm (3 inches) of rain fell in a few minutes. The rains effect, however, was obviously severe, with at least one metre (3.3 feet) of floodwater gathering in underpasses and lower parts of the city an extraordinary event for July when then the average rainfall in Palermo is 5mm and rain is expected on just one day of the month. Its cause was not unusual, but unfortunate; an arc of summer thunderstorms formed over the Tyrrhenian Sea and drifted slowly over southern Italy. A Federal Circuit Court judge removed a threat to imprison parents who did not follow his family law orders when he released a written version of his oral decision, an appeal court has found. The decision has renewed calls for a federal judicial watchdog to investigate complaints against judges at arm's length from the courts. In the latest decision criticising the conduct of Judge Salvatore Vasta, the Full Court of the Family Court said the judge engaged in "impermissible editing" by failing to include the threat made on February 6 last year when he published a written decision on April 29. Federal Circuit Court Judge Salvatore Vasta is at the centre of a number of critical appeal judgments. Judge Vasta "could not amend his oral reasons as he did", the court said. The Republican National Committee (RNC) is sharply restricting attendance on three of the four nights of its convention in Jacksonville, Florida. The committee is looking at ways to make sure the August event can go ahead despite the surge in coronavirus cases in the state. RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said in a letter to RNC members that only the approximately 2,500 regular delegates would be permitted to attend the opening three nights of the August's Republican Convention. Delegates, their guests and alternate delegates would be permitted to attend the final night, 27 August, when President Donald Trump is set to deliver his nomination acceptance speech. The convention was moved to Florida after officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, ruled out the full-capacity crowd that the president wanted due to the ongoing pandemic. The formal business of the renominating Mr Trump will still take place in Charlotte, but with a far smaller group of delegates casting proxy votes. When we made these changes, we had hoped to be able to plan a traditional convention celebration to which we are all accustomed, Ms McDaniel said. However, adjustments must be made to comply with state and local health guidelines. In recent weeks, Florida has seen the number of new cases of Covid-19 break records, and the number of deaths is now beginning to climb in line with the lag between the two numbers seen in other states. Jacksonville has instituted a face-covering mandate and the state is limiting gatherings to 50 per cent of a venues capacity. The RNC is still working to determine a programming lineup for the event, with Ms McDaniel saying that the convention was planning to use both indoor and outdoor spaces. GOP officials familiar with the planning said the marquee evening program, including Mr Trumps speech, is expected to take place outdoors to accommodate the largest crowd possible. There will be on-site temperature checks, face-coverings will be provided, and Covid-19 testing will be available for attendees. Ms McDaniel said in her letter: We can gather and put on a top-notch event that celebrates the incredible accomplishments of President Trumps administration and his re-nomination for a second term while also doing so in a safe and responsible manner. Florida has recorded more than 300,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and 4,520 deaths as of Wednesday. The Democratic National Committee has already downsized its convention's venue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While Joe Biden will attend to accept the nomination, a news release states that the four-day event will "include both live broadcasts and curated content from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country. With reporting from the Associated Press Regarding the meeting, Pakistan said two Indian officers were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Jadhav on Thursday Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav was granted second consular access on Thursday. Meanwhile, the MEA said that it was waiting for the assessment report from the Indian officials who met with Jadhav. The second consular meeting came hours after New Delhi had asked Islamabad to give "unconditional consular access" to Jadhav, as per sources. Addressing the MEA's weekly press conference, spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "On Kulbhushan Jadhav case, we have been demanding unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional consular access to him. On the basis of assurances provided the officials have proceeded for meeting today. We are yet to hear from them. Once, we assess the situation based on their report, we will comment." Earlier, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Pakistan provided second consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav at Indian request today. Two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Jadhav at 3 pm." Pakistan claimed that Jadhav had refused to file a review plea on the Pakistani court military court's judgment which awarded the death penalty to the former naval officer on charges of espionage. India said that he had been coerced into doing that. "Last time what they did was insulting to his mother, father and wife and insulting to India as a whole. So we want that consular access should be unconditional," Arvind Singh, Kulbhushan Jadhav's childhood friend, told ANI. Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage. India has rejected Pakistan's allegations about Jadhav's involvement in spying and subversive activities and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar. In early 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to death. In May 2017, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed his execution. In July last year, the ICJ, by a vote of 15-1, had upheld India's claim that Pakistan has committed an egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts. The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday handed over a 'protest note' to Border Guard Bangladesh after an Indian jawan was attacked by Bangladesh smugglers. A BSF jawan was at the border outpost on duty, at the International Boundary with Bangladesh, when he saw suspicious movements of two cattle smugglers trying to smuggle two cattle. The movement of the smugglers was obscure due to the high growth of jute crop and bad weather due to rain. Constable Bubai Nurki challenged the smugglers and chased them. The smugglers sped up and started running towards the Bangladesh border which was just 100 metres from there. During the chase, the BSF constable caught hold of one smuggler and was trying to take him under his custody. While doing so, his accomplice suddenly attacked the jawan with a stick. Consequently, during the scuffle, the jawan sustained injuries on his right hand and his finger got fractured. Taking advantage of the muddy jute field, both the smugglers fled away towards Bangladesh leaving behind their cattle. The BSF jawan successfully rescued both the cattle from the clutches of smugglers. However, the BSF authorities of South Bengal Frontier Kolkata is determined to ensure that there is no loss to the life and property of the BSF troops at any cost. After this incident, the company commander of BOP-Jalangi, 141 Bn held a flag meeting with the company commander of Border Guard Bangladesh and handed over a protest note with the request to ensure that no criminal from Bangladesh enters India by violating the sanctity of the International Boundary. It has been observed that due to ensuing Qurbani Eid, cattle smugglers from Bangladesh are desperately attempting to smuggle cattle by adopting different kinds of modus operandies. But due to the aggressive and proactive strategy adopted by the BSF troops, cattle smugglers are not getting success. The frustration and desperation level of the smugglers is so high that they are mis-adventuring into attacking BSF troops on duty using bricks, sticks, daggers, sickles, dah etc. Even in a few incidents, the smugglers have used country-made pistols and bombs also. Consequently, on few occasions when life and property of the BSF troops are endangered, they are compelled to make judicious use of the firepower as per non-lethal policy by exercising the right of self-defence and protection to the property. This results in casualties to the miscreants of both the countries. Alaska Air Group (ALK) is expected to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on lower revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2020. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 23. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This airline is expected to post quarterly loss of $3.39 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -256.2%. Revenues are expected to be $307.68 million, down 86.6% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 46.95% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction). The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Story continues Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Alaska Air? For Alaska Air, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +16.33%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3. So, this combination indicates that Alaska Air will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Alaska Air would post a loss of $1.27 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.82, delivering a surprise of +35.43%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Alaska Air appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 16, 2020 / Silver Elephant Mining Corp. ("Silver Elephant" or the "Company") (ELEF.TO)(SILEF)(1P2N.F) is pleased to announce that the Notice of Intent ("NOI") to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for the Gibellini Vanadium Project ("Project") located in Eureka County, Nevada, USA was published on July 14, 2020 in the Federal Register. The Gibellini Project is 100% owned by Nevada Vanadium LLC. ("Nevada Vanadium"), a Nevada corporation that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Silver Elephant Mining Corp. The NOI formally commences the 12-month timeline to complete the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") review and EIS preparation by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management ("BLM"). The NEPA process is designed to help public officials complete permitting decisions that are protective of the environment and includes a public engagement process. Per news release from The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mount Lewis Office: "If approved, this project would provide hundreds of jobs and will contribute to the nation's domestic source of critical minerals," said Doug Furtado, Battle Mountain District Manager. "The Gibellini mine would also be the first vanadium mine in the U.S. and, in accordance with Secretarial Order 3355, we anticipate having a record of decision in 12 months. As there is currently no primary domestic production of vanadium, the United States is dependent on foreign sources of vanadium; this creates a strategic vulnerability for both the economy and military to adverse government action or other events that can disrupt the supply of this key mineral." Please visit www.nevadavanadium.com for the full news release from Nevada Vanadium LLC. SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "John Lee" Chairman For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations: +1.604.569.3661 ext. 101 ir@silverelephant.com www.silverelephant.com Story continues Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release are about future events and performance. Such statements are based on current estimates, predictions, expectations, or beliefs. The subjects of the statements include, but are not limited to, (i) the PEA representing a viable development option for the project; (ii) construction of a mine at the project and related actions; (iii) estimates of the capital costs of constructing mine facilities, bringing the mine into production, and sustaining the mine, together with estimates of the length of financing payback periods; (iv) the estimated amount of future production, of both [raw material?] and metal recovered; and (vi) estimates of the life of the mine and of the operating and total costs, cash flow, net present value, and economic returns, including internal rate of return from an operating mine constructed at the project. All forward-looking statements are based on Silver Elephant's or its consultants' current beliefs and assumptions, which are in turn based on the information currently available to them. The most significant assumptions are set forth above, but generally these assumptions include: (i) the presence and continuity of vanadium mineralization at the project at the estimated grades; (ii) the geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of the rock conforming to the sampled results; (iii) infrastructure construction costs and schedule; (iv) the availability of personnel, machinery, and equipment at the estimated prices and within the estimated delivery times; (v) currency exchange rates; (vi) vanadium sale prices; (vii) appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in the economic analysis; (viii) tax rates applicable to the proposed mining operation; (ix) the availability of acceptable financing on reasonable terms; (x) projected recovery rates and use of a process method, which although well-known and proven with other commodity types, such as copper, has not been previously brought into production for a vanadium project; (xi) reasonable contingency requirements; (xii) success in realizing proposed operations; and (xiii) assumptions that the project's environmental approval and permitting is forthcoming from county, state, and federal authorities. The economic analysis is partly based on Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA based on these Mineral Resources will be realized. Currently there are no Mineral Reserves on the Gibellini property. Although the Company's management and its consultants consider these assumptions to be reasonable, given the information currently available to them, they could prove to be incorrect. Many forward-looking statements are made assuming the correctness of other forward-looking statements, such as statements of net present value and internal rates of return. Those statements are based in turn on most of the other forward-looking statements and assumptions made herein. The cost information is also prepared using current values, but the time for incurring the costs is in the future and it is assumed costs will remain stable over the relevant period. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements by Silver Elephant or its consultants. Silver Elephant and its consultants believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove correct. In addition, although Prophecy and its consultants have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Silver Elephant and its consultants undertake no obligation to publicly release any future revisions of the forward-looking statements that reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this news release or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law. SOURCE: Silver Elephant Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/597777/Silver-Elephant-Notice-of-Intent-to-Prepare-EIS-Published-for-Gibellini-Vanadium-Project Ahmed Ali, a Bangladesh citizen and the father of British woman Shamima Begum, who ran away to join the Islamic State extremist group in Syria in 2015, speaks to reporters in his home village in northeastern Sunamganj district, March 5, 2019. The Bangladeshi father of a now stateless woman stuck in a Syrian refugee camp, after she joined the Islamic State group as a teen, welcomed a British courts ruling that she could return to fight for her U.K. citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds. Shamima Begum was 15 when she traveled to Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic States so-called caliphate, along with two friends in 2015. While there, she married a Dutch fighter with IS and converted to Islam. I am pleased with the courts decision. My daughter will face trial if she committed the offenses, I have nothing to say about that, her father, Ahmed Ali, told BenarNews by phone on Thursday from his home in Sunamganj, a district in northeastern Bangladesh, as he reacted to a decision by the Court of Appeal in England earlier in the day. I think she deserves the legal right to defend herself in the court. Ali said he wanted to travel to the England to support his daughter. I will fly to London if I get a ticket, he said, adding that tickets were scarce. My daughter made a mistake. Correction of such a mistake is very difficult. Which parents want their children to go the wrong way? he said. Ali, a Bangladeshi, first went to London in 1975. I have not taken British citizenship due to my family problem. I live both in London and Bangladesh and my wife is a British national, he said. Shamima Begum, who was born in Britain, ended up in a refugee camp in Syria following the March 2019 collapse of IS by U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Earlier this year, the Special Immigration Appeal Commission (SIAC) ruled that the British governments decision last year to revoke Begums citizenship was lawful. On Thursday in London, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal agreed unanimously that she be permitted to return so her appeal would be fair. The Court acknowledges that there are national security concerns about Ms. Begum but the Court reaches the conclusion that, notwithstanding those concerns, the only way in which she can have a fair and effective appeal before SIAC is for Ms. Begum to be permitted to come into the U.K. to pursue that appeal, the court said in its six-page ruling. Begums case came to light last year through an interview she gave to BBC News from a Syrian refugee camp. In the TV interview, Begum, then 19, pleaded to British authorities to allow her to return to the country of her birth. But she was criticized for making comments during the interview, where she seemed to justify an IS-linked suicide bombing that killed 23 people at a concert hall in Manchester in May 2017. After the BBC interview, Britains Home Office announced that it was stripping Begum of her citizenship and barring her from returning to the country. Renu Begum holds a picture of Shamima Begum, her youngest sister who fled Britain to join the Islamic State extremist group in Syria, during an interview in central London, Feb. 22, 2015. [AFP] Not welcome Meanwhile on Thursday, Bangladesh government officials said Begum was not welcome in their country. Shamima has never been a Bangladeshi citizen. Her mother is a British national. We have nothing to say about Shamima and her family, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews. But what I can assure you is that she would not be allowed to enter Bangladesh. Even if she comes to Bangladesh, she would face a terrorism charge under the anti-terrorism law because she is an IS militant, he said. Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen agreed that Bangladesh should not allow Begum to enter the country. Bangladeshs former law minister, on the other hand, made a case for her being welcomed in. Shafique Ahmed, a member of the ruling Awami League who served as the law minister, said Begum would be eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship because of her father. Bangladesh does not revoke the Bangladeshi citizenship if any of its nationals accepts British citizenship, he told BenarNews. The British laws do not allow a person to be stateless. Shamima should be tried for her offense, but this is unacceptable that a country would cancel its citizenship of a person and ask them to adopt citizenship of another country, Ahmed said. The national debt could be pushing towards 3trillion by the time of the next general election as the cost of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic spirals, the official budget watchdog has warned. In a bleak report published this week, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has laid bare the damage the health crisis is doing to the economy and the public finances. Its 'central' projection was for the Government to borrow 372.2billion this year and 899.2billion over the next five years pushing the national debt above 2.6trillion in 2024-25. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates the Government will borrow 372.2bn this year and 899.2bn over the next five years - pushing the national debt above 2.6trillion in 2024-25 But its 'downside scenario', where the economy fares worse than feared, includes borrowing of 441.4billion this year and 1.2trillion over the next five years. That would push the national debt to well over 2.9trillion in 2024-25, and is a major headache for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. The next general election is due to take place in 2024 but it could happen earlier than that. Sunak yesterday admitted 'tough choices' lie ahead when it comes to considering what tax changes should be made following the pandemic. Giving evidence to the MPs on the Treasury Committee, he refused to be drawn on whether the Government would be able to honour the commitment in the Tory election manifesto not to put up income tax, national insurance or VAT. 'Our ambition is to deliver on all the priorities that we set out but on any questions on future tax policy I can't comment one way or another. Those decisions are made as always in future budgets,' he said. The national debt dates back to the late 17th century and took more than 300 years to reach 1trillion. It stood at around 300billion at the start of this century but smashed through 1trillion in 2010. The pile hit 2trillion this year after the outbreak of Covid-19. And the surge towards 3trillion comes as the cost of the virus crisis adds up. As well as spending billions extra on schemes to support jobs, businesses and the health service, the pandemic and subsequent lockdown have triggered the deepest recession in 300 years, hitting tax receipts in the process. The OBR is warning that receipts over the next five years will be 418.5billion lower than anticipated as recently as March. The take from income tax and national insurance is slated to fall 165billion due to lower wages and higher unemployment. She's getting back to reality after returning from her sun-soaked getaway to the Bahamas. But Devon Windsor continued to prove she's her own best advert as she shared a stunning bikini snap from her recent trip modelling a piece from her swimwear collection on Thursday. The Victoria's Secret model, 26, showed off her lithe physique in the chic white two-piece from her brand Devon Windsor Swim. Gorgeous: Devon Windsor proved she's her own best advert as she shared a stunning bikini snap from her recent trip modelling a white two-piece from her own collection on Thursday The blonde beauty flaunted her toned abs and endless legs as she posed on the side of a boat for the Instagram snap. She wore her golden tresses in beachy waves loose around her shoulders and completed the vacation look with a pair of black sunglasses and a shell necklace. The Missouri born model captioned the post: 'When they tell you to act natural....' The sizzling bikini snap was shot during her recent getaway to the Bahamas with friend and Model Squad co-star Olivia Culpo. Making waves: The model, 26, clearly took plenty of pictures during her Bahamas trip, having shared a plethora of images onto her Instagram account as of late Devon clearly took plenty of pictures during their trip, having shared a plethora of images onto her Instagram account as of late. Devon has been working hard promoting her eponymous swimwear collection Devon Windsor Swim, which she founded last year. Releasing the line is something of a dream come true for Devon, who has wanted to launch a collection ever since getting started in modeling. 'Since I began in the modeling industry, my end goal was to always build my brand and start my own line!' she told Forbes. Sun-kissed: Devon looked stunning as she posed in a gold bikini from her swimwear range during her recent trip to the Bahamas 'It wasn't until years later that I realised my love for resort wear, and at the same time noticed a gap in the market for swim that has more design detail and that is more elevated than just your average triangle bikini. 'That considered, it has always been important for me to create a brand that won't completely break your bank, while still maintaining great fit and quality materials. 'I'm also not limiting myself at just swim sooner than later, I will be offering some affordable RTW!' The 5ft 11in beauty wed Johnny Barbara - co-owner of fashion label Alexis - at St Bartholomew's Anglican Church on the Caribbean island of St Barths on November 16 2019. South Africas Prudential Authority expects that business-interruption claims linked to the Covid-19 pandemic poses little systemic risk to the insurance industry. The regulator is in talks with the countrys Financial Sector Conduct Authority and insurance companies on claims from policyholders who incurred losses when they were forced to close because of a national lockdown to curb the coronavirus. The matter remains a market-conduct issue, which the FSCA oversees, the Prudential Authority said by email. At this stage, we are not of the view that the business-interruption insurance issue has systemic implications for the industry, the Prudential Authority said. South African insurers are rejecting claims in cases where they say payouts are only triggered by physical events such as an infection at a companys premises. But the FSCA last week warned the industry to stop broadly rejecting claims from businesses related to the COVID-19 lockdown, after a Cape Town court ruled against one local insurer. In the UK, some insurers are starting to acknowledge that payments may be unavoidable. If a High Court hearing on policy wording goes against insurers, it will have far-reaching consequences for losses, capital and valuations, in the country, Bloomberg Intelligence credit analysts Arun Kumar and Zheli Zhang said in a note. South Africas Prudential Authority last month suspended the issuance of new insurance licenses for six months because of the pandemic. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics COVID-19 Claims The Telugu Desam Party on Thursday sought the urgent intervention of President Ram Nath Kovind in upholding the democratic values and rule of law in Andhra Pradesh which, the party alleged, were given a go-by during the present YSR Congress Party government. A delegation of five TDP members of parliament met the President in New Delhi and submitted him a 52-page representation with a long list of complaints against the Jagan Reddy-led government in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP members brought to the notice of Kovind how the YSRCP government had systematically destroyed democratic and constitutional institutions in the state and infringed upon the fundamental rights of the people in the last 13 months. The YSRCP has ignored a fundamental dictum in a democracy, that governments may change, but governance is a continuous process. Right from demolishing the Praja Vedika (Peoples Forum) in June 2019 to unleashing a reign of terror against the political opponents, the Jagan government has ruined every system, they said in the representation. The TDP lawmakers alleged that the YSRCP had injected a sense of fear in the government officials, forced university Vice-Chancellors to resign, concocted cases against the Dalits in Guntur district thus making them refugees in their own state, indulged in killing opposition party supporters and slapping cases against the farmers who are peacefully protesting in Amaravati. They pointed out that the Jagan had resorted to threatening his own party member who raised voice against his policies. The YSRCP leaders had also issued unofficial orders to ban News channels and indulged in illegal mining and transporting of sand and various other scams like in house sites and ambulances. The President of India has given an assurance that he will examine the representation and take appropriate action, TDP MP Galla Jayadev said. YEREVAN, JULY 16, ARMENPRESS. Lithuanias foreign minister Linas Linkevicius expressed his deep concern over the current situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and called for an immediate ceasefire. Deeply concerned that clashes on Armenia-Azerbaijan border continue. Escalation gives no benefit to both sides. Call for immediate ceasefire, avoiding any further escalation and returning to dialogue and negotiations under the auspices of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the Lithuanian FM said on twitter. Since July 12th, Azerbaijan has launched a series of cross-border attacks against Armenias northern Tavush province. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan The erosion of press freedom is both a symptom of and a contributor to the breakdown of other democratic institutions and principles, a fact that makes it especially alarming. by Zulkifli Nazim Media freedom has been deteriorating around the world over the past decade. In some of the most influential democracies in the world, populist leaders have overseen concerted attempts to throttle the independence of the media sector. The fundamental right to seek and disseminate information through an independent press is under attack, and part of the assault has come from an unexpected source - The Elected leaders. These are those who should be the staunchest defenders of Press freedom; but quite regrettably to our consternation and dismay, they have made explicit attempts to silence critical media voices and strengthen outlets that serve up favourable coverage. The trend is linked to a global decline in democracy itself. The erosion of press freedom is both a symptom of and a contributor to the breakdown of other democratic institutions and principles, a fact that makes it especially alarming. Our bleak, unlivable and insufferable existence will be seen, when we are deprived of writing, speaking or expressing ourselves in any form. The life and work of writers facing this peril must be protected and is urgent, but along with that urgency we should remind ourselves that their absence, the choking off of a writers work, its cruel amputation, is of equal peril to us, the ordinary folk. Because proclaiming the truth is trouble for the warmonger, the torturer, the corporate thief, the political hack, the corrupt justice system, and for a comatose public. It is also an inconvenience and a source of difficulty for the ignorant bully and the sly racist. And the efforts by powerful governments to censor, starve, regulate televising, broadcasts and annihilate such writings and writers are clear signs that something important has taken place. So they resort to special methods which include surveillance, censorship, arrest, even slaughter of those writers and broadcasters informing and disturbing the public these are: Writers - journalists, essayists, bloggers, poets, playwrights who can disturb the social comatose functions of the population. Media accounts of reality have the potential to influence public opinion and decision making processes. Therefore who has and who does not have access to the media and can make their voice heard is a crucial question with serious political consequences. The life and work of journalists are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity. On the other side of the coin we see in some of the most influential democracies in the world, large segments of the population are no longer receiving unbiased news and information. This is not because journalists are being thrown in jail, as might occur in authoritarian settings. Instead, the media have fallen prey to more nuanced efforts to throttle their independence. Common methods include government-backed ownership changes, regulatory and financial pressure, and public denunciations of honest journalists. Governments have also offered proactive support to friendly outlets through measures such as lucrative state contracts, favorable regulatory decisions, and preferential access to state information. The goal is to make the press serve those in power rather than the public. The problem has arisen in tandem with right-wing populism, which has undermined basic freedoms in many democratic countries. Populist leaders present themselves as the defenders of an aggrieved majority against liberal elites and ethnic minorities whose loyalties they question, and argue that the interests of the nationas they define itshould override democratic principles like press freedom, transparency, and open debate. Democracies in general are undergoing a decline in political rights and civil liberties. Certain government administrations in the world have had great success in snuffing out critical journalism, blazing a trail for populist forces elsewhere. Leaders in some countries have consolidated media ownership in the hands of their cronies, ensuring that the outlets with the widest reach support the government and smear its perceived opponents. Case in point - In Hungary, where the process has advanced much further, nearly 80 percent of the media are owned by government allies. Our powerful neighbour The Asian Superpower - India, the worlds most populous democracy, have also started sending signals that holding the government accountable is not part of the responsibility of the press and other associated media. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has supported campaigns to discourage speech that is anti-national, and government-aligned thugs have raided critical journalists homes and offices. The media have become widely flattering of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won the re-election, amid allegations that the government issues directives on how the press should cover his activities and intimidates journalists who push back. The Indian government has also been selective in the allocation of television licenses, effectively excluding unfriendly outlets from the airwaves. Not forgetting of course the most concerning development of recent years, press freedom has come under unusual pressure in the United States as well - the worlds leading democratic power. Although key news organizations remain strong and continue to produce vigorous reporting on those in office, President Donald Trumps continual vilification of the press has seriously exacerbated an ongoing erosion of public confidence in the mainstream media. Among other steps, the president has repeatedly threatened to strengthen libel laws, revoke the licenses of certain broadcasters, and damage other business interests of media owners. The breakdown of global press freedom is closely related to the broader decline of democracy. Although the press is not always the first institution to be attacked when a countrys leadership takes an anti-democratic turn - repression of free media is a strong indication that other political rights and civil liberties are in danger. Assaults on media independence are frequently associated with power grabs by new or incumbent leaders, or with attempts of entrenched regimes, to crush perceived threats. While populist leaders in democracies seek to secure and build on their gains by taming the press, established autocratic governments continue to tighten the screws on dissenting voices, as any breach in their media dominance threatens to expose official wrongdoing or debunk official narratives. In Russia, authorities moved to block the popular messaging application Telegram after the company refused to hand over its encryption keys to security officials. The government in Cameroon shut down internet service in the restive Anglophone minority. In Myanmar, two Reuters journalists were sentenced to seven years in prison after a flawed trial in which the court ignored plain evidence that they had been entrapped to halt their investigation of military atrocities against the Rohingya minority; although they were recently pardoned, they were not exonerated. In Pakistan, security agents have allegedly warned journalists against coverage of taboo subjects, such as abuses by the military, or given reporters instructions on how to cover specific political issues. The regime in China has worked to close off the last remaining avenues for accessing uncensored information by increasing pressure on private technology companies to police the content on their platforms more persistently. The 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi interests was the most infamous recent case, but it was hardly unique. Also a Tanzanian journalist investigating the murders of local officials disappeared, and his fate remains a mystery. Sri Lanka too has had its fair share of accusations. These downgrades in various countries can be attributed to a range of legal, political, and economic factors, but some stand out as more concerning and pervasive. Violence and harassment aimed at particular journalists and media outlets illustrate the ways in which already difficult environments can grow steadily worse in the absence of meaningful international support for media independence and other fundamental rights. However, experience has shown, that press freedom can rebound from even lengthy stints of repression when given the opportunity. The basic desire for democratic liberties, including access to honest and fact-based journalism, can never be extinguished, and it is never too late to renew the demand that these rights be granted in full. Australias former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 15, 2018. (AAP/Lukas Coch/via Reuters) Former Australian PM Says Business, Higher Education Sectors Need to Wake Up to China Threat Australias former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Wednesday that the countrys business and higher education sectors need to wake up to bullying and threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Turnbull, whose government banned tech giants Huawei and ZTE from Australias 5G networks on national security grounds, criticized the nations business chiefs and academics after they condemned the Australian government over its relations with Beijing. Such behavior, the former prime minister said, would only encourage more bullying from China. Turnbull, who was prime minister from 2015 to 2018, said that some parts of the Australian business community have been pretty shameful in their response Beijings use of trade threats to influence policy. Addressing a webinar hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), he made reference to comments made in 2018 by the University of Sydneys Vice Chancellor Michael Spence. Spence accused me of Sinophobic blatherings, Turnbull recalled. That was because he has a large number of his foreign students whove paid full tuition fees, come from China. We had to gently remind them and make a few points about, well, you know, essentially a little bit of patriotism wouldnt have gone too far, he added, without elaborating. The greatest leverage China has in the region is money, he continued, noting that China was Australias biggest trading partner, with the export of commodities being a large part of the economic relationship. Every now and then, when it suits them, they rattle the cage and threaten trade consequences and sometimes some exports are held up those threats are made, he said. And the Australian business community I have to say to date has been invariably sensitive to this and tends to criticise the Australian government, pretty shameful actually. The one thing the Australian business community and academic community have got to learn, is that if you want to encourage more bullying from China, continue behaving in the way they do, because every time they do that and criticize the Australian government over its China relations, reflexively, Beijing says, Wow, gee that works, thats terrificlets do more of that. Turnbulls comments come as the Australian government increasingly pushes back against recent aggression by the CCP. Australia was one of the first countries to call for an investigation into Beijings handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong over concerns around the new national security law. The country also is standing its ground against an escalating number of economic threats and intimidation from China. Turnbull said Australia must have confidence in the services and products it sold and not be bullied because it is, honestly, it is a slippery slope. Countries must not be intimidated by confected outrage from Beijing, Turnbull said. Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that bilateral air bubbles is the only way to resume international air travel. "Till international civil aviation can reclaim its pre-Covid numbers, I think the answer will lie through bilateral air bubbles which will carry a possible number of people but under defined conditions as countries are still imposing entry restrictions including India," Puri said at a press conference. Puri said that as many people as they can ferry would be ferried through these air bubbles but it would not be free. He said many foreign countries are imposing restrictions and there would be many checks and balances even for people with visas. The minister said that India is at a very advanced stage of negotiations with at least three countries including France, US and Germany for air bubble. "Air France will be operating 28 flights from Delhi, Mumbai & Bengaluru to Paris between July 18 to August 1. We have an agreement with United Airlines to operate 18 flights between India-US between July 17 and July 31 but this is an interim one. We have a request from Germany also and an agreement with Lufthansa is almost done," he said. Puri added that domestic flights are operating at 33 per cent capacity. "We have to navigate difficult terrain," he said. Scheduled international flights have not been operational since March 23 due to coronavirus lockdown. The minister commended Air India on its efforts to evacuate stranded Indians from several countries. He said that Vande Bharat Mission is currently in the fourth phase. Puri said that 619 flights will bring back more than two lakh Indians. "We are evacuating about 20,000 people every day," he said. Hardeep Puri said that 687,467 people have been brought back home, out of which Air India ferried 215,495 people, while other private carriers brought back 12,258 Indians. Also read: Coronavirus fallout: Air travel demand to tumble by 49% for Indian airlines in 2020, says IATA Also read: Coronavirus fallout: Airlines staring at Rs 1.1 lakh crore loss over three years, says CRISIL Research California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the Trump administration Wednesday, challenging a revised rule he charged would make it harder for students to get loan relief from predatory lenders and for-profit colleges. The U.S. Department of Education has replaced critical borrower protections with a process that makes it virtually impossible for victimized students to get the relief they should qualify for, including canceling their federal loans, Becerra said in announcing the lawsuit. He was joined in the suit by 22 other state attorneys general, all of them Democrats. This is yet another grandstanding, politically driven lawsuit meant to grab a cheap headline, said Angela Morabito, the Education Departments press secretary. To any objective observer, our borrower defense rule clearly protects students from fraud, ensures they are entitled to financial relief if they suffered harm and holds schools accountable. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos revised the rule for the federal Borrower Defense to Repayment student loan relief program in August, saying Obama-era regulations just werent working and that the change corrects the wrongs of the 2016 rule through common sense and carefully crafted reforms. DeVos has said the Obama administrations rule on the loans was a too-lenient giveaway for students. While students should have protections from predatory practices, schools and taxpayers should also be treated fairly, she said in a 2017 talk to a Michigan Republican group. Under the previous rules, all one had to do was raise his or her hands to be entitled to so-called free money. The new rule establishes a three-year deadline for student borrowers to seek loan relief and makes it tougher for students to prove they relied on false claims by a school to enroll and seek a loan. It also saves the federal government an estimated $11.1 billion in loan guarantee costs. Were suing because this rule is nothing more than a free pass to allow schools to continue defrauding students, said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who joined Becerra in a telephone news conference announcing the suit. The court action seeks to reinstate the Obama-era rule. The suit pits Becerra against President Trump, who in May vetoed a bipartisan measure passed by Congress that would have dumped the new revision and left the previous rule intact. Trump called the measure a misguided resolution, saying former President Barack Obamas regulation had forced for-profit colleges to close and kept students from choosing the kind of education they want and need. The suit is designed to provide students with the protection they arent receiving from the administration, Becerra said. Secretary DeVos puts students and those who borrowed money in good faith ... behind the predatory lenders who have exploited them, he said. The new rule applies to all student loans made on or after July 1, 2020. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth Piers Morgan has announced he has a new book coming out, titled Wake Up: Why the liberal war on free speech is even more dangerous than Covid-19. Speaking about the book, which will be published by HarperCollins on 15 October, Morgan said: The biggest threat to our freedom in the 21st century isnt coronavirus but hysterically woke liberals trying to kill democracy by suppressing free speech. This is my clarion call, as a liberal myself, for them to stop screaming, shaming and cancelling everyone they disagree with, and start being part of the solution to global disharmony and division not the problem. The presenter and journalist is known for his antipathy to woke liberals. In January, he tweeted: Woke means being constantly, self-righteously certain that your ultra-liberal, virtue-signalling opinion is not only always right but anyone who disagrees is an idiot. You know the type... During a 2019 interview with American commentator Ben Shapiro, Morgan said: This snowflake culture that we now operate in, the victimhood culture, the everyone has to think in a certain way, behave a certain way... Everyone has to have a bleeding heart and tell you 20 things that are wrong with them I just think it is all completely skewed to an environment where everyone is offended by everything and no one is allowed to say a joke. In 2018, Morgan was accused of being utterly offensive after he joked about Caitlyn Jenners gender reassignment surgery during a TV interview. Morgan announced the news of his book to his 7.6 million followers on Twitter. The post was accompanied with an image of his upcoming book. The reveal disappointed Morgans followers who expected a more monumental announcement. The controversial journalist had earlier tweeted: Ill be making a big announcement at midday. Watch this space. One Twitter user replied to Morgans news of his upcoming book: Ive never felt more underwhelmed by an announcement. Another said: Is that it? A bloody book. No one will read lets be real. Following Morgans teaser Tweet this morning, there was speculation on social media that the presenter would be quitting Good Morning Britain. He had previously said he was possibly set to leave the daily ITV chat show once his current contract expires. Executive publisher Oli Malcom described Wake Up as an urgent, assertive but above all hugely compelling read. Los Angeles, July 16 : Hollywood star Brad Pitt reportedly doesnt have a relationship with his eldest son, Maddox, as of now. "That relationship continues to be non-existent," a source told Us Weekly. The source added that the actor neither sees the 18-year-old Maddox nor does he speak with his 16-year-old son, Pax. In October 2019, a source had said that the actor considers his falling out with Maddox, who studies at Yonsei University Seoul, a "tremendous loss". The source added that Maddox "hasn't been receptive". During that time, Pitt was optimistic about his chances to fix his relationship with his and actress Angelina Jolie's son Pax. "With Maddox overseas (for college), Brad is also hopeful that Pax will also be interested in reconnecting without the influence of his older brother," the source said. Pitt and Maddox have had a strained relationship since an alleged altercation during a private jet flight to Los Angeles in 2016. Pitt was cleared of wrongdoing. Former couple Jolie and Pitt also share Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and Knox and Vivienne, 12. Former US President Barack Obama, Former Vice President Joe Biden, billionaires - Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mike Bloomberg, celebrity couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, as well as corporate Twitter accounts of Uber and Apple were reportedly involved in a simultaneous socially-re-engineered attack. Analysts and federal agencies are examining the total financial damage and loophole even as initial estimates peg the damage at a few thousand-dollars. Reports indicate that the list of celebrities and market-moguls could be in double-digits. Tweets from high-profile celebrity Twitter ids were key in the latest Twitter hack. Followers were tweeted to deposit $1,000 to an unidentified bitcoin address in exchange for a reward of $2,000 reward. Thursday morning saw Twitter swing into action and claim that it was aware of the breach. Twitter Support id tweeted that it was investigating and taking steps to fix the issue even as verified users were unable to post a tweet from their ids. The spoofed-tweets were taken down by Twitter. The micro-blogging site referred to the latest hack as a "coordinated social engineering attack" targeting employees who've had access to internal systems and tools. The staff accounts may have been compromised to gain access to high-profile and verified accounts. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation probed the technology breach and Twitter swung into action. However, 12.9 bitcoins estimated at $114,000 were transferred to that account. A few hours into the scam, the masterminds managed to withdraw at least half of that money. "It is highly likely that the attackers were able to hack into the back end or service layer of the Twitter application," Michael Borohovski, director of software engineering at security company Synopsys, was quoted as saying in media reports. The scammer's website was quickly pulled offline. Kristaps Ronka, chief executive of Namesilo, the domain registrar used by the scammers, reportedly explained TechCrunch that the company suspended the domain "on the first report" it received. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted, "Tough day for us at Twitter. We all feel terrible this happened..." "We're diagnosing and will share everything we can when we have a more complete understanding of exactly what happened," said Dorsey. Spokespersons for the global-elite were quick to disown the fake tweets. "Appears to be part of a larger issue that Twitter is facing," said a spokesperson for Microsoft's Technology Adviser and Philanthropist Bill Gates. Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk were yet to respond while a Joe Biden's campaign representative was quoted as saying that Twitter's integrity team "locked down account within a few minutes of the breach and removed the related tweet." The latest security breach prompted Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, to send a letter to Dorsey urging him to work with the FBI and the Justice Department on ways to improve Twitter's security. "A successful attack on your system's servers represents a threat to all of your users' privacy and data security," wrote Hawley. Twitter shares were reportedly down three percent with netizens reminding themselves of a similar fiasco - last year, mischievious hackers broke into Twitter Chief Jack Dorsey's account to post racist and vulgar comments. Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies and image attributed to ijmaki from Pixabay They came. They performed. They conquered. The Jefferson Davis High School marching band appeared on Tuesdays episode of Americas Got Talent, impressing all three judges on the NBC reality series. The band from Montgomery made a splashy entrance on the 7 p.m. show, marching through the audience section of the studio -- empty due to the coronavirus pandemic -- and past the judges. Then, the Marching Vols really got down to business, filling the stage with energy and music. Their mashup of Lizzo songs earned yes votes from Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. That means the band will move on to the next phase of the competition, known as the judge cuts. One ailing judge, Heidi Klum, was missing from the episode, which was filmed in advance. Band director Brandon Howard introduced the troupe, saying, Montgomery, Alabama, has a lot of rich history. Its a very difficult place to live in at this point in time. The crime rate is kind of high. The poverty rate is high. Most of my students come in, theyre really rough around the edges, but the students come to the band room, they learn discipline, they learn how to play their instrument, and its an escape from everything else going on in the city. When asked by Cowell where the band gets its funding, Howard said, The funding is something that we actually do ourselves. We go out into the community and raise money. We do what we have to do. This could be the perfect platform for you, Cowell said. Well, Im really hoping this goes well. A single episode of judge cuts is set to air July 28. A total of 60 acts, including the band from Jeff Davis, will compete in that round, and 44 will move on to the quarterfinals, according to a report by USA Today. If all goes well, the band from Alabama will compete for a $1 million prize. The band from Jeff Davis already has a national profile, earning acclaim in fall 2019 when videos of its performances were showcased -- and applauded -- by social media personality @PubbyLongway. At the time, the nearly all-Black ensemble was led by a white drum major, Justin Heideman, whose nickname is Vanilla Funk. PART 2!! That man justin not playin wit yall man! pic.twitter.com/vdcvW5AO3U Pubby Longway (@PubbyLongway) October 8, 2019 Longway said he discovered the initial video of Heideman performing with the band on Facebook, according to a report by Andre Toran of the Montgomery Advertiser. I was just chilling, and I had videos just running, Longway said. Next thing you know I left the room, and I heard some band stuff playing, and I like band music, because I was in band myself. So, I said, Let me go back and listen to that. I ran back to my room and I saw Justin. I was like What!? Its a white boy leading the pack. The videos showcased by Longway have received more than 4 million views, the Advertiser said, but theres also been a substantial backlash. Critics said the video downplayed three other drum majors for the band, all of whom are Black, and gave undue praise to the single white member of the ensemble. Heideman had the support of his bandmates, however, and they said he earned the job of lead drum major through hard work and talent. When you get to looking on the internet, everybody is slandering him, Dominic Williams, one of the other drum majors, told the Montgomery Advertiser. Saying, What is he doing as a white head drum major leading a Black band? To me, (his race) really doesnt faze me, but as to see people talk about him, its stupid. Justin, all the things he went through, all the trials and tribulations that he took to become the person he is, a lot of people dont see that side of him, because they just see him on the internet. Heideman performed with the band at the Americas Got Talent auditions, and presumably will be there for the judge cuts episode. He graduated from Jeff Davis this spring and has announced that hell attend Alabama State University in the fall to play trumpet in the Mighty Marching Hornets band. On Wednesday night, the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Online Event #15: $1,000 PLO 8-Max attracted 386 players who rebought 277 times. The 663-entry field resulted in a $629,850 prize pool, and after more than 12 hours of play, it was Guy PhilLaak Dunlap, who hails from Portland, Oregon, claiming victory for a $133,780.14 top prize plus his first gold bracelet. According to HendonMob, Dunlap has $106,317 in live tournament earnings including a career-best $26,104 for finishing third in the Pendleton 2011 Fall Poker Round-Up $500 Main Event. In addition to having success in the Pacific Northwest, which includes several victories in smaller events, Dunlap has also amassed six figures playing online. Now, hes the proud owner of a WSOP online bracelet. 2020 WSOP Online Event #15 Final Table Results Place Player Prize 1 Guy PhilLaak Dunlap $133,780 2 Shane danish01 Daniels $82,069 3 Todd chi.t.420 Sladek $56,749 4 Jacob Bandit275 Powers $39,870 5 Keith thxsimgod Ferrera $28,469 6 Blake shampainpopn Whittington $20,659 7 Matt jacksup Matros $15,305 8 Anthony heheh Zinno $11,526 After wippitywap bubbled the tournament in 100th place, the top 99 players got paid including Jesse mrjessejames Sylvia (78th - $1,700.59), Erik NW1Time Seidel (60th - $2,015.52), Event #13 champ Michael miguelfiesta Lech (43rd - $2,582.38), Event #6 winner Nathan surfbum Gamble (28th - $3,023.28), Event #3 bracelet winner Robert bustinballs Kuhn (15th - $5,416.71), and Calvin "projector52" Anderson (11th - $6,865.36). Todd chi.t.420 Sladek began the final table as the chip leader while two-time WSOP bracelet winner Anthony heheh Zinno was the short stack. Not surprisingly, Zinno was the first to go after he got it in on the flop with a set of aces against three-time bracelet winner Matt jacksup Matros, who had a flush draw. The diamond flush came in on the turn and Zinno failed to pair the board on the river to fall in eighth place. Matros wound up following him out the door after getting it in preflop with kings against Sladeks aces, and then Sladek eliminated six-time circuit ring winner Blake shampainpopn Whittington cracking kings when he made two pair on the river. Next to go was Keith thxsimgod Ferrera after getting it in with a flush draw and missing against Shane "danish01" Daniels, who finished the hand with two pair. Daniels then busted Jacob "Bandit275" Powers after the duo got it in on the flop with the former holding an open-ended straight draw and the latter a set. The straight came in and that was all she wrote for Powers. Sladek bowed out in third place after getting short, and that saw Dunlap take an 8.4 million chip lead into heads-up play against Daniels, who had 4.8 million. For the second time in the 2020 WSOP online series, Daniels was heads-up for a bracelet, though in his first outing he had to settle for second place in Event #6: $600 PLO8 Six-Max for $55,283. Once again, Daniels was denied WSOP gold as he was unable to spin up his stack, ultimately calling it off when Dunlap had aces in the hole. Both players wound up making a club flush on the runout, but Dunlaps was best to eliminate Daniels in second for $82,069. The next tournament on the schedule Event #16: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo will take place at 3 p.m. PDT on Thursday. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will once again be reporting all the action, so be sure to tune in then to see who captures the next 2020 WSOP bracelet! A Nova Scotia resort will only accept guests from the Atlantic bubble this summer and will turn away guests from the rest of Canada, the U.S. and beyond. White Point Beach Resort offers lodge and cabin accommodations on its waterfront property on the South Shore. Typically, it attracts guests from around the world. General manager Dylan Meisner said this year, its guests will only come from the four Atlantic provinces. "The introduction of the Atlantic bubble breathed new life into the Atlantic provinces. The idea that we may be opening up shortly thereafter to the rest of the country, it really did concern me," he said. So even if a Canada bubble opens this summer, White Point will stick to the East Coast. CBC Meisner said when they reopened in June, staff called past clients from outside Nova Scotia to make the clients aware of the proper self-isolation guidelines. He said many people did not understand them, but expected they could take walks and drive around town during the isolation period. "That's not at all what it means to us, or to the government. So the closer it gets to all of that opening and reopening, it just made us more and more nervous," he said. Keeping the curve flattened He said he feels for people who now won't be able to stay at White Point this summer. "But at the same time, I feel that the safety and the well-being of the people that work here year-round, that come to play here year-round, and for all of those people that have worked so hard inside of the Atlantic provinces to really flatten the curve, deserve a really safe place to come," he said. Digby Pines, another major resort in the province, said it will take bookings from across Canada. If the potential guest is from outside the Atlantic bubble, Digby Pines staff will ask if they've already completed their two weeks of isolation before they are allowed to check in. Liscombe Lodge, a resort on the Eastern Shore, won't limit bookings to the Atlantic bubble. General manager Karen Wenaus said staff will ask visitors from outside the bubble if they have isolated for two weeks. Story continues "So we definitely do ask the questions if anybody's phone number or their address is not from the area that we at this point in time are bubbled in," she said. Wenaus said Liscombe Lodge isn't expecting a banner year. "It is looking far better than what I projected it to be at the beginning of May, I will say that," she said. Fears of a second wave Geoff MacLellan is Nova Scotia's tourism minister. He said he respects the decisions made by private businesses, and he's confident the province will be safe either way. And he knows tourism businesses are worried about a potential second wave of COVID-19. "They've been able to stay afloat for this round, but if there's a second flare-up, a second phase and it's because we didn't take all the right measures around the opening-up process, they're done," MacLellan said of their fears. MORE TOP STORIES Georgia governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday overruling mask mandates put in place by local governments in the state to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, calling such rules unenforceable. Kemps order, which extended the states COVID-19 restrictions through July 31, prohibits local municipalities from enforcing mandatory mask orders that are more restrictive than his statewide order that only encourages face coverings, effectively voiding orders issued by at least 15 local governments across the state, NPR reported. His previous order, set to expire on Wednesday, had banned local municipalities from taking more restrictive steps than the state, but the new order explicitly prohibits cities and counties from requiring masks. Atlanta, Savannah, Athens, Augusta and other local governments had defied orders and issued their own mask mandates in recent weeks. Kemps office insisted that such orders are non-binding and legally unenforceable. The Republican governor has strongly encouraged residents and visitors to wear coverings as practicable insisting that mask mandates are unenforceable and a bridge too far. Previous executive orders and now this order state no local action can be more or less restrictive than ours, Candice Broce, a spokesperson for the governor, tweeted. We have explained that local mask mandates are unenforceable. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public. Georgia reported its second highest new coronavirus case count on Wednesday, with 3,871 new confirmed cases and 37 deaths, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Half of all new cases are being reported in Atlanta. Kemps new order requires vulnerable residents, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, to shelter in place. It also restricts public gatherings to no more than 50 people and requires businesses to maintain social distancing precautions. Story continues Georgias move comes as more and more states issue mask mandates, including Alabama, where Republican governor Kay Ivey instituted such a rule on Wednesday. Walmart, Starbucks and Best Buy are among a growing number of large chains that have announced they will require masks in stores nationwide. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who had been the first local official to shirk Kemps previous rules on mask mandates, tweeted his criticism of the governor Wednesday, saying It is officially official. Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us. Every man and woman for himself/herself. Ignore the science and survive the best you can, he said. In #Savannah, we will continue to keep the faith and follow the science. Masks will continue to be available! More from National Review Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Albuquerque Public Schools unveiled plans for what the 2020-21 academic year could look like should schools reopen this year, proposing a remote start, then transitioning to a schedule that would alternate between in-person classes and distance learning. APS is slated to start online the week of Aug. 12. The technology department has a plan to make sure students have access to devices. Under the plan, the earliest classrooms would open with 50% of the student population at one time is Sept. 8, which was pushed back from the original proposal of Aug. 25. When schools open for in-person learning, Acting Superintendent Scott Elder said the plan is to divide students into two cohorts based on their last names group A through L and group M through Z which would attend school on a rotating schedule. While one group attends in-person class Tuesday through Friday, the other group would learn from home. A deep clean would happen on Mondays, while all students learn remotely, and then the other cohort would attend in-person school for the week. Elder said this allows siblings to attend school at the same time. If families have different last names, they can work with the school to get on the same schedule. He added that parent feedback has been split on the model and a major concern is finding childcare. Elder emphasized the plan we are submitting is as of July 15 and can change, especially if there is new direction from the state. Reopening schools may ultimately be halted. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said that start dates could be pushed back by several weeks or into the winter depending on coronavirus data. Campus safety, cleaning Districts throughout New Mexico have been prepping based on a reentry framework released by the state Public Education Department in June that outlined some requirements for back to school, including rapid response testing programs for staff, social distancing, and the use of face coverings for students and employees. PED Secretary Ryan Stewart told the Journal recently that a hybrid model a mix of in-person and online classes is still the expectation as of now, though the state still has to review plans and has said it would work with schools. PEDs framework left a lot of the logistics up to individual charter schools and districts. The APS plan for reentering schools includes: Masks will be made available for staff and students, if needed. Masks must be worn on the playground and common areas. High-touch surfaces will be cleaned regularly and schools will be cleaned daily. Bus drivers will sweep and sanitize the bus in high-touch areas after each trip, in addition to evening cleaning. Riders and drivers will be required to wear masks, and siblings will be seated together. Children will be discouraged from sharing toys, books and other supplies. Water fountains will be off limits. If a student has any COVID-19 symptoms, they will be placed in an isolated area until they can be picked up, according to the plan. Staff and visitors with symptoms or known exposure to COVID-19 will not be allowed on campus. If a student or teacher tests positive, Elder said the school will be shut down and disinfected, and students will learn remotely during that time. The district will post its reentry plan on its website at APS.edu. Educator pushback Many teachers publicly opposed in-person schooling at this time, saying lives could be on the line. The public forum speakers aligned with feedback from the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, which is urging the district to push back in-person classes for students until at least after Labor Day. I urge you to enact 100% online learning and not consider any form of in-person school until Bernalillo County is free of new cases for at least two full weeks, said Kristine Mayle, a teacher at Garfield Middle School. Staff are scheduled to go back to work on Aug. 5 and will undergo training on teaching in the new environment. Gradual transition School districts across New Mexico are grappling with how to reopen schools this fall. Rio Rancho Public Schools plans to offer two options. The first is a hybrid option where students in grades K-3 will attend school full days on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and students in grades 4-12 will attend school two days a week and learn from home three days a week. Students will also be allowed to do 100% virtual learning, but those who choose that option will have to stick with it for the first semester. The Santa Fe school board, meanwhile, will consider a proposal on Thursday to start the school year remotely. The plan calls for a gradual transition to a hybrid model based on coronavirus infection transmission rates. The school board will consider three options for reopening remote, full reentry or hybrid. The Santa Fe school district and teachers union representing most public school educators are proposing remote learning for the first nine weeks, with plans to bring students into a pilot hybrid model if the transmission rate falls below 1.05. T.S. Last and the Rio Rancho Observer contributed to this report. Rhea Chakraborty, who was reportedly dating actor Sushant Singh Rajput , has finally broken her silence on being blamed for his death by a section of people on social media. She has penned a powerful note along with proof of rape and death threats shes been receiving. Naming and shaming a social media user by attaching a screenshot of a rape threat by the person, she wrote, I was called a gold digger ..I kept quiet. I was called a murderer ....I kept quiet. I was slut shamed ....I kept quiet. But how does my silence give you the right to tell me that you will get me RAPED and MURDERED if I dont commit suicide @mannu_raaut ? Asking the cyber crime cell to take note of it, she further wrote, Do you realize the seriousness of what you have said? These are crimes, and by law no one, I repeat NO ONE should be subjected to this kind of toxicity and harassment . I request @cyber_crime_helpline @cybercrimeindia to please take necessary action . ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. On Tuesday, Rhea had written an open letter to the late actor a month after his death. She wrote, Still struggling to face my emotions.. an irreparable numbness in my heart . You are the one who made me believe in love, the power of it . You taught me how a simple mathematical equation can decipher the meaning of life and I promise you that I learnt from you every day. I will never come to terms with you not being here anymore. I know youre in a much more peaceful place now. The moon, the stars, the galaxies wouldve welcomed the greatest physicist with open arms. Full of empathy and joy, you could lighten up a shooting star - now, you are one . I will wait for you my shooting star and make a wish to bring you back to me. Also read: Ludo first look: Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh walk in with a baby and swag to spare for Netflix release She added, You were everything a beautiful person could be, the greatest wonder that the world has seen . My words are incapable of expressing the love we have and I guess you truly meant it when you said it is beyond both of us.You loved everything with an open heart, and now youve shown me that our love is indeed exponential. Be in peace Sushi. 30 days of losing you but a lifetime of loving you....Eternally connected To infinity and beyond. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Donald Trump bears very little in common with any actual woman I know. But, oddly, he has a lot in common with the basest, most unfair stereotypes of femininity. He is ruled by feelings rather than facts. He is fickle, gossipy and easily grossed out. He uses florid language, like beautiful and perfect, and says he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un fell in love. He deals with adversity like a Mean Girl with a burn book, via insults and freeze-outs. For any Neanderthal who has ever feared electing a female president because what if shes too cranky when shes on her period congratulations. For approximately 1,300 days, you have had a menstruating man in the Oval Office. There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Reliance Industries Limited, with its telecom and digital solutions business Reliance Jio has proved the latter half of Lenins above observation in these last few weeks. Along with lining up and closing a fund raise round with 14 marquee strategic and financial investors from around the world and a slew of announcements made at the AGM on July 15, the company has positioned itself as a key player on the global stage. On September 27, 2017, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said that Data is the new oil. India doesnt need to import it. We have it in super abundance. It is this thinking, focus on carving Reliance Jio as not just a telecom company, but a digital platforms company that provided requisite future readiness and valuation for the company that made it an investors pick, even during the unstable and chaotic COVID-19 pandemic. The companys strategic direction, plan and execution is complemented by the opportunity of the Indian market that is young, enterprising and ripe for digital technologies adoption and scaling. The fact that no other Indian company has managed to execute and efficiently cater to this countrys consumer demands makes Reliance Industries Jio business an attractive bet for some of the leading global investors. The companys well-thought-out and executed transition from focus on oil (energy) to digital platforms (telecom and other digital industries) contributed significantly for the group to evolve as the first Indian company to breach $150 billion in market capitalisation. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel and Qualcomm are leading companies in the world in their domains, and, most of their products and offerings are mutually exclusive and complementary in nature. For Reliance Jio to partner and seek strategic investments from these companies is a significantly advantageous move. For these global technology players too, this partnership provides a partner with the utmost proven capability to cater to the India market. Google and Facebook have, in the past, independently tried (and succeeded to a fair extent) and connected the unconnected Indian populace to the Internet. Google with its Railway Station WiFi project, Android One and the current AI for Good initiatives have developed India-specific Internet onboarding and scaling programmes for India. Facebook with Internet.org, Free Basics and Express WiFi initiatives has tried the same. Both these companies, and Microsoft, view the Indian Internet consumer and her value to their company with different lens, and for Reliance Jio, this combination could be complementary and collectively exhaustive. Intel and Qualcomm have both strong 5G technology and chipset focus, which could be further beneficial for Jio. Some of the biggest private equity and financial investment firms, including KKR, Silver Lake, Vista Partners, General Atlantic, Mubadala, etc. that have invested in Reliance Jio provide the requisite credibility and potential investor confidence for when the company is ready to go for public listing. Also, for these big, global PE firms, in the current environment, Reliance Jio is one of the rare, stable investment options with significant potential upside for growth. In the July 15 AGM, RIL announced, as a part of its Jio business, the development of an indigenous 5G solution. This is an ambitious goal for the company. Strategically, it could lessen the dependence on the current technology leader in the space Huawei and this will be in line with the prevalent anti-China sentiment across India, it would bolster the Make in India goal, and develop the much-needed 5G technology skill set and expertise in India. However, this could also be one of the challenging projects that the company could have undertaken, considering that there is lack of research labs and scarce skill sets and expertise in India for end-to-end 5G solution development from scratch. This is where the strategic partnership with Intel and Qualcomm could prove useful. Also, it has not been specified as to which specific 5G solution development it would undertake RAN (Radio Access Network) element, or the RF (Radio Frequency) Chipset, or, a full-fledged 5G mobile device? For each of these, the complementary component, services, testing and manufacturing, and other value chain player ecosystem, is currently missing in India. Also, for most of the companies working on new, cutting-edge technology solutions, the scale of economies at a global level makes business sense. RIL has announced that once its 5G technology has been proven at a national level, it will be better placed to export the tech to global operators. Researching, innovating, developing and scaling advanced deep technology solutions can be very challenging and time consuming. We are still awaiting updates on the pan-India blokchain network which was announced at last years AGM. Some of these technology solutions could prove extremely tricky, especially with lack of adequate local talent. Having said that, RIL, especially for its telecom and digital businesses, has in the past invested in global talent to be based out of India. The company also proved naysayers wrong when it entered a mature mobile telecom market as a challenger, and garnered 100 million subscribers in just six months. RIL, in recent years, especially in digital technologies and consumer business, has been taking up ambitious, unprecedented bets and successfully delivering. One hopes that the 5G target is also met. Jayanth Kolla is Partner, Convergence Catalyst. Views are personal. Please click here to follow our complete coverage of RIL's 43rd AGM. Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd., which also owns Jio, is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. The Tamil Nadu government has established 52 service centres across the state to help the students while filling the applications and during the online counselling. The Tamil Nadu government has released the schedule for the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2020. The online registration has already begun. As per a report by The Times of India, the last for engineering counselling is 16 August. The report mentioned Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K P Anbalagan saying that the certificate verification, special counselling for differently abled and supplementary counselling will be conducted online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The engineering rank list will be released on 7 September and general counselling will be held from 17 September to 6 October. As per a report by The Hindu, candidates can register for counselling by visiting the websites - www.tneaonline.org and www.tndte.gov.in. The report added that as of now, 465 colleges had registered for counselling but the numbers are expected to increase as colleges have time till 15 August to add seats. In 2019-20 academic year, 536 colleges with 2,26,385 seats, had participated in counselling. The number of government seats was 1,49,821. A total of 1,08,932 seats had been filled. Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry would remain the core subjects for deciding the cut-off marks. The Tamil Nadu government has established 52 service centres across the state to help the students while filling the applications and during the online counselling. Speaking about conducting the semester exams, the education minister said that the state government would take a call after getting the report from the expert panel. The 11-member committee under the Higher Education Secretary has been constituted to assess the feasibility of conducting end-semester exams. The education minister said that the committee will consult the Governor/Chancellor, the Hindu report added. According to a report in Times Now, TNEA is conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education, Tamil Nadu, to offer admissions to candidates in various engineering colleges in the state. The exams are conducted in an online mode. New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is chairing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on as his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi is not able to attend the meet due to health reasons. 1) LIVE | News channels are being punished, oppn is targeted for holding govt to account: Rahul Gandhi at CWC meet Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is chairing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on as his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi is not able to attend the meet due to health reasons. 2) Twitter briefly down worldwide, reason behind outage not clear yet Twitter was down almost in many parts of the world for more than 10 minutes. Many users on Monday tweeted that the micro-blogging giant was down. 3) India and UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities: PM Modi Addressing the India-UK Tech Summit on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra laid emphsis on the fact that India and the UK can leverage technological prowess to create new opportunities, while seeking investments in defence, manufacturing and aerospace sectors. 4) Live updates | The great smog of Delhi: 'What have you done till now to curb pollution', NGST asks centre and states Delhi woke up to smog on Day 7 after Diwali, and the Delhi air has become toxic cocktail of dust and smoke. In a spate of emergency measures, all schools in Delhi have been directed to remain closed till Wednesday. 5) Saif Ali Khan denies sex determination rumors of his, Kareena's unborn child Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan have rubbished reports of his wife and Bollywood actress Kareena undergoing a sex determination test for their baby. Gossip mills have been abuzz that Kareena and Saif secretly went on to take the gender test of their unborn child and that they plan to have the baby in London. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Seoul, July 16 : The South Korean Unification Ministry will inspect dozens of government-registered activist groups to look into whether they have been involved in sending anti-North Korea leaflets, an official said here on Thursday. The move comes as the Ministry has been pushing to revoke the operation permits of two North Korean defector groups for sending leaflets to Pyongyang in defiance of the government's calls against such activity, reports Yonhap News Agency. "It is part of efforts to strengthen supervision on their operation," the Ministry official told reporters. "The probe will be conducted first on 25 entities, including 13 groups run by North Korean defectors, from late this month ... It will be expanded to others going forward." He said that the probe will be carried out as some of the activist groups have been involved in sending anti-North Korea leaflets across the border, jeopardizing residents in border areas and heightening cross-border tensions, though he noted that it is one of many areas that will be looked into. The sending of leaflets across the border by activist groups has emerged as a major source of cross-border tensions since Pyongyang called it a violation of an inter-Korean summit agreement and threatened to take a series of retaliatory steps against South Korea if it did not stop such activity. North Korea also called South Korea an "enemy" and blew up a joint liaison office in its border town of Kaesong in anger over the leafleting issue last month. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi, Oliver Hirt and Scott Murdoch ZURICH/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Credit Suisse wants to raise its China securities joint venture stake to 100% and increase its market share after getting the regulatory green light to take a majority holding, the head of its Asia business said. Switzerland's second-largest bank is also looking to hire more staff and invest in China, the world's second-biggest economy, as its most significant business opportunity in the world, its APAC boss Helman Sitohang told Reuters. China has gained in relevance for Credit Suisse and other international banks after Beijing fast-tracked the opening of its financial markets to foreigner investors. After gaining 51% control of its securities joint venture in June and appointing Janice Hu as chairwoman, Credit Suisse aims to take on full ownership from Founder Securities as it seeks to build out its private and investment banking businesses. Credit Suisse has placed great faith in Hu, a "veteran investment banker" who has been with it for almost two decades, to grow its business in China, where the timing of it gaining full ownership of the venture is in the hands of regulators. The bank did not disclose the value of the joint venture. While it does not break down its business by individual markets, Asia-Pacific accounted for roughly one-fifth of its overall pre-tax income in 2019, with Greater China its most important market in the region. The bank ranks first in M&A revenues in Asia, excluding Japan, with a 12.4% market share for the first half of 2020, and first in investment banking revenues, with a 8.3% share, Dealogic says. In Asia-Pacific Credit Suisse not only competes with larger Zurich rival UBS , but also with other Swiss private banks including Geneva-based Pictet and listed lender Julius Baer for wealth management business. Meanwhile in investment banking, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan are both major competitors, while Chinese investment bank CITIC Securities counts as a key rival in Asia. Story continues China is producing the most new billionaires and Credit Suisse last month hired a new head of wealth management for onshore China, Jing Wang, from China Merchants Bank. This followed two senior appointments this year for prime sales, and Credit Suisse is now looking to fill other key positions for its Chinese business over the next few months. "We will continue to invest across our platforms in China and closely integrate our onshore operations with our businesses in Hong Kong and across the region. There will be more hires, some of which we will announce shortly," Sitohang said. "It is clearly about tactical hiring: We want to capture opportunities. We know exactly where these are, where we see the potential to improve, and that is what we are focused on," the 54-year-old Singaporean native said from his office in Singapore. HONG KONG HUB Hong Kong's future as a global financial centre has been under scrutiny after the mainland Chinese government last month introduced tough new national security laws for the city. Some analysts suggest investors could shift money to other offshore hubs, like Singapore, to cushion the impact of the growing political and economic uncertainty. Sitohang reiterated Credit Suisse's commitment to Hong Kong and said it had not registered any outflows. "Hong Kong has been an important hub for Credit Suisse for decades ... (and) there will be no changes to our presence," Sitohang said, adding that it was an "integral part of our footprint for China overall". As well as its role in the largest equity capital markets deal in Hong Kong last year with Alibaba's secondary listing, Sitohang said Credit Suisse did another recently for Netease, which was about $2.8 billion, as well as "a couple of large bond deals". Credit Suisse has increased the money it manages in the Asia-Pacific region by around a quarter over the last three years to 220 billion Swiss francs ($233 billion) at the end of 2019 before a drop to 197 billion francs in the first quarter due to the coronavirus crisis. Although ties to Luckin Coffee -- from whose chairman Credit Suisse is seeking to recoup a more than half-billion dollar loan along with five other banks -- increased the Swiss bank's first quarter provisioning for loan losses, Sitohang is not put off. Credit Suisse would stick by its strategy of acting as a "bank for entrepreneurs", managing both the private wealth of rising business people as well as benefiting from their corporate activities through its investment bank, he said. ($1 = 0.9434 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and Oliver Hirt in Zurich and Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong; Editing by Alexander Smith) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) The Labor Department will be setting up a one-stop shop to help assist ABS-CBN employees who stand to lose their jobs following the denial of the networks franchise application, Malacanang said Thursday. In his virtual media briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque citing a recent conversation with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the agency will put up a center in the capital region to help retrenched and unemployed workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative will include a job referral system, Roque added. Magkakaroon po siya ng one-stop shop center para sa NCR, at para sa ABS-CBN, para makapag-apply doon ang mga mare-retrench na empleyado ng ABS-CBN, the spokesperson said. Magkakaroon din siya ng job referral system, baka magkaroon din po ng job fair. So lahat yan ay kinumpirma po ni Sec. Bello," he added. [Translation: There will be a one-stop shop center for NCR, and for ABS-CBN, so ABS-CBNs retrenched workers can apply. There will also be a job referral system, and there might also be a job fair. This was confirmed by Secretary Bello.] Roque stressed that the proposed one-stop shop will also be open to all retrenched workers of other sectors. ABS-CBN on Wednesday said it will let go of some workers by August 31, citing the non-renewal of its license. The media company did not say how many workers will be affected, but noted they will be given separation pay and retirement benefits. ABS-CBN stopped radio and broadcast operations the bulk of its business in early May, but said it could retain its employees for three months, hoping that it would go back on air by then. Roque, in an interview with CNN Philippines earlier in the day, said affected employees can also avail of the same benefits and support provided by the government to workers displaced by the crisis including the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program and other livelihood loans. While it remains off the air, ABS-CBN had said it will continue to deliver news through the limited platforms available to them. Thiruvananthapuram, July 16 : The democratic youth federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M), has sought to put union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan in the dock after the admin attache of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram left for Dubai. Rashed Khamis Ali Musaiqri Alshemeli, the acting in charge at the UAE consulate, reportedly left India for Dubai even as suspicions were being raised about his alleged involvement in the smuggling of gold through a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate. Call details of the accused in the gold smuggling case reportedly showed that the admin attache had been in regular contact with them prior to the seizure of the gold by the customs officials. The NIA has been reportedly pressing the centre seeking permission to question him. The DYFI state secretariat called on the union external affairs ministry to explain why the attache was allowed to leave for Dubai, saying that the diplomats leaving the country when questions were being raised against him in connection with gold smuggling was a grave issue. Training its guns on V Muraleedharan, the DYFI alleged that the minister of state for external affairs and the BJP leadership gave their tacit approval for the diplomat to leave the country to sabotage the NIA probe into the gold smuggling case. Muraleedharan had been loath to demand a probe by a central agency. He had also tried to establish that the air cargo consignment from which the customs officials seized the gold was not a diplomatic baggage, the DYFI said. The admin attache of the UAE consulate abruptly leaving the country has raised doubts about his involvement in the case. The diplomat, however, enjoys immunity under the provisions of the Vienna convention. A gold smuggling scandal broke out in the state after customs officials seized 30kg of gold on July 5 from an air cargo consignment disguised as a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Chino, CA (91710) Today Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable. Former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's party scored a tight win in North Macedonia's general elections but fell short of a majority, setting the stage for a struggle to form a coalition government in the European Union aspirant. The domestic drama plays out against a backdrop of political turmoil in the Balkans. The war-scarred region thought it had put the worst of the coronavirus pandemic behind it, but a second wave of infections has added to the public anger in this restive corner on the EU's southeastern flank. Zaev's coalition, which includes a small party representing ethnic Albanians, got 36.1% of the votes, followed by the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE with 34.9%, the State Electoral Commission reported Thursday, with 98% of precincts counted. The Democratic Union for Integration, the biggest party representing ethnic Albanians, took its traditional kingmaker role in third with 11.3%. "We'll build our North Macedonia as a European, modern" country, "an established NATO member and negotiator" with the EU, Zaev told reporters in Skopje. The former premier's previous government changed the country's name to help resolve a dispute with Greece and clear the way for it to join NATO and the EU after decades of making no progress. The landlocked former part of Yugoslavia became the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 30th member in March, and the EU published a negotiation framework in July for North Macedonia's accession. Zaev brought down that administration in January by resigning after initially failing to secure a date to start EU accession talks. It's unclear whether he'll now be able to form a ruling coalition. VMRO-DPMNE will also be jostling for position. The party, whose former leader fled to Hungary to avoid a two-year jail sentence for abuse of office, has accused Zaev's Social Democrats of focusing on western integration and ignoring domestic problems. That includes criticism that they failed to tackle the coronavirus despite imposing one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe during their pre-election interim cabinet. The third-placed Democratic Union for Integration has been part of every coalition in the nation of 2 million people for the past 20 years. It has already announced its nominee for an ethnic-Albanian prime minister but Zaev has rejected the candidate. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-16 03:17:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VILNIUS, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A transport company in Lithuania's second largest city Kaunas has become a new coronavirus hotspot with 18 persons diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the Lithuanian Health Ministry on Wednesday. All the infected arrived in Lithuania from Uzbekistan with the first two cases confirmed a few days ago and the other 16 cases confirmed on Tuesday, said the National Center for Public Health (NVSC) under the ministry. "About 200 workers are being tested for the infection. The testing results are expected today," said Rolanda Lingiene from NVSC. According to the official, the situation is under control with NVSC specialists working in the company, in cooperation with Kaunas City Municipality and company representatives. In addition to the outbreak in Kaunas, seven other new COVID-19 cases were registered in Lithuania on Tuesday, said the Health Ministry. According to the ministry, Lithuania had registered 1,882 COVID-19 cases by Wednesday morning. To date, 79 people have died of the coronavirus and 1,582 have recovered. Enditem New Delhi, July 16 : The Supreme Court on Thursday, while hearing a matter in connection with death of a tiger at the Delhi Zoo allegedly due to Covid-19, said the matter is important and this case may lay down the rules for the future. A plea was filed by animal rights activist Sangeeta Dogra expressing concerns in connection with spread of Covid-19 to animals in zoological parks and also that the Central Zoo Authority failed to notify the Centre of their non-inclusion in the list of "essential services". Earlier, the petitioner had cited an incident in New York's Bronx Zoo, where a four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia contracted the deadly coronavirus from a caretaker, who was asymptomatic at the time. Meanwhile, the death of Kalpana, a white tigress at the Delhi Zoo in April was attributed by the government to acute renal failure and other complications related to old age, and it said that the big cat tested negative for Covid-19. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said: "This case may lay down the rules for the future. Your matter will be heard." The bench posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks. During the hearing, Dogra placed the rejoinder before the court, but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, objected to the language used in it. On this, the Chief Justice, referring to animal activists, said: "These persons are very passionate about wildlife." Mehta responded, "The government is passionate as well. However, the death of the tiger was due to intestinal infection, and not Covid-19." The Chief Justice told the petitioner that the court is dealing with a limited issue, which is the cause of death of the tiger, and asked her not to argue on wider issues. "You say, the tiger died of Covid-19, their report suggests it did not," he said. Dogra replied that the area where the tiger was found was declared a containment zone. "If the tiger was not Covid-19 positive, then why declare it a containment zone? 24 people who were found around the tiger were put in quarantine," she contended. The bench noted that the government has assured a committee would examine the issue after the death of the tiger in the US. Dogra, in her plea, had argued that zoo animals are dependent on authorities for food, and allegedly several violations have been committed by the CZA. The plea cited that the Delhi Zoo had invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act to ensure supplies for their animals, however, no similar information is available for other zoos in the country. NEW YORK - A gold SUV stopped in the middle of a busy road in Yonkers and backed up. "It's you!" the driver shouted to a man standing on the lawn of his modest family home. "It's me!" said the man, who was bald, black and wearing glasses and a gray cloth face mask that would have made him pretty hard to recognize if it weren't for the yard signs next to him broadcasting his name: "Jamaal Bowman. Democrat for U.S. Congress." "I really want to vote for you!" said the driver. "Appreciate you, brother," said Bowman, who gently informed the driver that the primary had happened a few days prior, with Bowman getting more than 60 percent of the in-person vote. The 44-year-old middle school principal who'd never run for office before was the prohibitive favorite in the surprise unseating of Rep. Eliot Engel, a 31-year congressman who is chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. Everyone in the car cheered. Like many other races in New York, though, results may not be official until August due to a massive influx of mail-in ballots because of the pandemic. The 16th Congressional District is majority black and Latino, with large pockets of white suburbs, covering the northern part of the Bronx and the southern part of Westchester County. And it just so happens to adjoin 14th Congressional District in the Bronx, where two years ago then-28-year-old bartender Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pulled off the surprise defeat of Joseph Crowley, the No. 4 Democrat in the House. With two neighboring white male incumbents overthrown by liberal, first-time politicians of color in two years, the upstart left wing of Democrats seems to be proving AOC's win was not a fluke. This election cycle, the waves of leftist-rabble-rousing influence have boomed out like an earthquake in concentric circles, from Ocasio-Cortez's district (where she is headed toward re-election despite well-funded primary challengers) to Bowman's, and - more surprising still - deep into the wealthy suburbs of Westchester along the Metro North. There, another black liberal and first-time candidate, 33 year-old attorney Mondaire Jones, won the hotly contested open seat vacated by 83-year-old Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey in the even more suburban 17th Congressional District, which is 60 percent white. New York also may soon claim the first two openly gay black or Latino members of Congress: Jones and Ritchie Torres, a city council member who is black and Puerto Rican and appears to have won the open seat in the 15th Congressional District in the Bronx. What's more, Bowman, Jones and Torres all grew up in either public or Section 8 housing. That voters have elevated these voices, in the middle of a pandemic that has disproportionately affected black and brown people and as Black Lives Matter protests have spread across the state, seems to signal that there may be further political changes to come. As things stand, Bowman has a 25 percentage point lead, but Engel has filed a lawsuit that would allow him to challenge absentee ballots, and he refuses to concede. Bowman doesn't have the official green light to celebrate, but Jones does. On Tuesday, the Associated Press declared him as the winner with a 45 percent lead over his nearest opponent's 16, three weeks after Election Day. In Yonkers, though, it feels as if Bowman has already won. He's doing Zoom calls with community leaders to push for an eviction moratorium and rent freezes, and reading a proposal Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., wrote for a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Commission. "Watch out!" he shouted. His wife, Melissa, an elementary school teacher, was pulling into the driveway. He hugged his kids, Maya, 6, and Marcel, 10 (his oldest son, Jelani, 19, is off at college in New Jersey). Soon he was carrying Maya's pink bike with training wheels and "LOL" stickers into the house. "During the race, Melissa was angry with me the whole time, until it was like, 'Yo, you might win.' Then she started getting friendly," said Jamaal. "It was just the stress of the whole race and the fact that I turned her life upside down by running for office." "Oh, that's your perception?" said Melissa. "I mean, I was worried. There's so much uncertainty." But now? "I'm excited. I'm excited. There's so much he can do. It's limitless." - - - "Can I curse?" Bowman said when asked why he started hinting to friends years ago that he wanted to run for Congress. "S--- was f---ed up! I mean, I'm a principal on the Bronx side of the district for 10 years. I've got families losing their homes, parents that have been killed, kids self-mutilating because of mental distress, kids being admitted into mental institutions." Thirty-four children in his district died in the 2017-2018 school year, 17 of them from suicide. "No one's talking about the connection between trauma and poverty and bad policy, in the Bronx, in Yonkers, wherever black and brown people are. That is unacceptable. And it's been like that my entire life." Bowman was raised by a single mother, a postal worker, in public housing in East Harlem before moving in with grandparents in rent-stabilized housing in the Yorkville section of the Upper East Side. He taught and was a guidance counselor for 10 years, then founded a middle school, Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, in the Bronx, while his house is in Yonkers, a working-class inner suburb that is technically its own city (the fourth-biggest in the state) but feels more like an extension of the Bronx. Like many black men who grew up like he did, Bowman can cite his first beating by a police officer, an incident he said he spent many years trying not to think about. He was 11 and "was simply horseplaying and giving a little back talk," he's said. "That led to me being thrown up against a wall, thrown to the ground, nightstick to the back, face dragged against the floor, and my mother and I felt like we didn't have any recourse." It's his personal connection to these issues that makes his win less surprising in the Bronx, one of the city's hardest hit coronavirus hot spots, and the site of lootings and violent clashes with the police during the protests. The liberal wave leaned so far left this cycle that Rep. Nydia Velazquez in Brooklyn faced a primary challenge from Paperboy Love Prince, a 27-year old rapper whose name appeared exactly like that on the ballot, who prefers "futurist" and "Team Love" to "progressive," who aimed to be the first non-binary member of Congress, and who walked away with a 20 percent of the in-person vote. The wave goes beyond New York, too. In New Jersey, Amy Kennedy - yes, a Kennedy! - won by running as anti-establishment. Bowman's and Jones's presumptive wins in particular reflect a national trend of changing demographics, said Waleed Shahid, spokesman for the Justice Democrats, the liberal political action committee that formed after Sen. Bernie Sanders's 2016 campaign and backed Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez's current campaigns. "A lot of people don't know this, but many of the suburbs in Westchester are majority people of color now," Shahid said. "What we're seeing across the country is that working class people of color are being pushed out of cities because of gentrification and the high cost of rent." Like Ocasio-Cortez, Bowman was recruited by the Justice Democrats, who had identified Engel as vulnerable and the 16th Congressional District as ripe for an overhaul. A fellow educator nominated him as a candidate, and Bowman's campaign benefited from the expertise of two of the staffers who worked on Ocasio-Cortez's winning campaign. "He had a record of leadership in the district that was really impressive," said Shahid. Not only had he been in education for 20 years, said Shahid, "He'd been an organizer in the fight for public schools and racial and economic justice. So many families knew him. Activists knew him." And they didn't just know his name. They knew him, had been students of his or had kids in his classes. Bowman kept his job as a principal through all of 2019, resigning only in January. In the last stretch of the campaign, he toured the district in a yellow school bus with a megaphone attached. Being a principal of a public middle school in the Bronx earned him instant respect, said Luke Hayes, Bowman's campaign manager: "People with kids or teachers are like, 'Yeah, that's a tough age to have to be an educator in.'" As the hosts of Desus & Mero pointed out when Bowman came on their talk show, handling Congress or a press corps would be easy compared with keeping the attention of a roomful of tweens. Yet as late as May, Bowman's own internal poll from Data for Progress showed him trailing Engel by 30 percentage points. Then the Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere published an article saying that Engel had been sheltering in place in Maryland and hadn't set foot in the Bronx during the entire pandemic. "I'm in both places," Engel replied when Dovere confronted him about being in Maryland while his presence was being touted at events in New York. Three weeks before the election, days into the protests that erupted after the killing of George Floyd, Engel did show up at a Bronx event calling for peace amid looting. When informed there wasn't time for him to speak, Engel said, twice, into a hot mic: "If I didn't have a primary, I wouldn't care." A day later, Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Bowman, followed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Eleventh-hour endorsements from establishment Democrats, including Sen. Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, and from members of the Congressional Black Caucus came in for Engel. "The Clinton endorsement led to our second-biggest fundraising day of the campaign," said Bowman - second only to the hot mic moment day. "So, thanks! It gave us another hundred grand to put toward more advertising." - - - If Bowman ran largely on his record as a principal, Mondaire Jones earned his votes more through the hope and generational change he represented. His district is divided by the Hudson River. To the east is Westchester County, which has one of the highest concentrations of wealthy communities in the country. To the west is Rockland County, a nirvana of greenery with pockets of deep poverty, where Jones grew up and now lives. He was Lowey's first primary challenger since she took her seat in 1988, which may have led to her announcing her retirement in October. Now he'll probably be the first African American or person of color to hold that seat, having triumphed over a formidable seven-person field - including a pharmaceuticals heir who spent $4 million of his own money. "We need more politicians for whom policy is personal," is one of Jones's frequent mantras. He was raised on food stamps by a single mother. He made it out of a declining public school to Stanford University, Harvard Law, and a stint with the Obama administration. He argued for canceling the student debt that led him to work in corporate law before he wound up at Westchester County's Law Department. He called climate change an existential crisis in river towns where people regularly bail water out of their basements. He was the one candidate advocating for Medicare-for-all during a pandemic when people had lost their health-care coverage along with their jobs, and the one candidate who had criminal justice reform in his platform before George Floyd was killed. Sitting outside his apartment complex in Nyack, N.Y., Jones said he'd told Bernie Sanders, who endorsed him, that he owed his election to the frustrations young liberals had over the presidential primary. "I am so grateful to them for channeling that hurt, that pain into down ballot races like mine," he said. At one polling place in a majority-white precinct, Jone's staff members talked to people who were still in line at 11 p.m. "They said, 'My kid is going to kill me if I don't stay in this line and vote for Mondaire Jones,' " Jones said. Bowman, too, benefited from appealing to younger voters ready for change. Back in Yonkers, he'd switched into a more recognizable face mask. It was his signature in the home stretch of the campaign, with the bright yellow logo of his favorite hip-hop group, the Wu Tang Clan. It's a conversation starter for anyone his age group. "They know where I'm coming from without even saying anything," he said. "Hip-hop is the culture that raised me along with my mother." For him, Wu Tang, who rose out of the projects in Staten Island, aren't just about the music. They're an ethos, an inspiration. "Hip-hop is a culture that is created by teenagers who were forgotten about," he said, "and because they were forgotten about, they were forced to come together and create something beautiful." He spent the day driving around thanking supporters: from Janice Simpson at the Caribbean-owned shop Lloyd's Carrot Cake to Melissa Meshulum, an organizer in Riverdale, a predominantly white and Jewish neighborhood home to two of the city's most elite private schools. Bowman appears to have carried Riverdale despite the Democratic Majority for Israel spending more than $1.3 million backing Engel. Next, he drove back to Yonkers to meet up with Sangeet Raj and Nubia Earth Martin, a doula and midwife who'd helped organize his first campaign event in June, bringing attention to the maternal mortality rate among black women, which is 12 times higher than white women in New York City. "To me," said Bowman, "if we have a system that allows black women to die at a disproportionate rate at a time in their lives that is supposed to be the most joyous and celebratory, then we're sick as a society, right?" The final stop was in a predominantly minority-occupied affordable housing development called Co-op City, where Lorraine Fairley, 63, another educator, had organized many of the residents to vote for Bowman. She'd actually tried to discourage him from running. "Those kids love him. I didn't want him to leave the school!" she said. With Bowman and Jones, it's hard to separate their hard-fought, shrewdly strategic wins from the momentum gained by being the right candidates for this moment of pandemic and protests. But Jones at least feels like they're imminently easy to separate: "There is this narrative that is actually condescending that, you know, my victory is owed to that fact that we are experiencing racial unrest." What it comes down to, he said, is "people want to be inspired by their member of Congress and they certainly don't want to be told what we can and cannot do." In his race he was the only candidate who, as Bowman had said in more colorful language, called for tearing down broken, inequitable systems. "And," Jones said, "I think that really struck a nerve with a Democratic electorate that understands that the status quo was unacceptable even before Donald Trump was elected." Flash China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the move of the U.S. side of signing the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" into law, said a statement released on the foreign ministry's website Wednesday. In disregard of China's serious representations, the United States recently signed into law the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" passed by its Congress, according to the statement. The Act maliciously denigrates the national security legislation for Hong Kong, and threatens to impose sanctions on China. It seriously violates international law and the basic norms underpinning international relations. It constitutes gross interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs. "The Chinese government firmly opposes and strongly condemns this move by the United States," said the statement. The enactment and enforcement of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is fully consistent with the relevant provisions of the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR. It provides the institutional and legal safeguards for the sound and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems," and serves to uphold sovereignty, security and development interests of the country as well as the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. The Law is unanimously supported and endorsed by all the Chinese people including the people in Hong Kong, the statement said. Noting Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, the statement said Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. No foreign country has the right to interfere. China is firmly resolved to uphold its sovereignty and security, safeguard the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and oppose external meddling in Hong Kong affairs. The U.S. attempt to obstruct the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong will never succeed. In order to safeguard its legitimate interests, China will make necessary response and sanction the relevant individuals and entities of the United States, said the statement. "We urge the U.S. side to correct its mistakes, not to enforce the so-called 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act,' and stop interfering in Hong Kong and other internal affairs of China in any way," it said, adding that if the U.S. side insists on going in the wrong direction, China will respond resolutely. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang on Wednesday summoned U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad to lodge stern representations over the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" and related executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Zheng noted the Act and executive order maliciously denigrate the national security legislation for Hong Kong, remove relevant special treatment for Hong Kong, and threaten to impose sanctions on Chinese entities and individuals. "This is a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a grave violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this." "To safeguard its legitimate interests, China will make necessary response to the wrong actions of the United States, including imposing sanctions on relevant U.S. entities and individuals," Zheng said. Noting Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, Zheng said China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, in accordance with the Chinese Constitution, the Hong Kong Basic Law and relevant decisions of the NPC, enacts the national security legislation for Hong Kong, which is entirely China's internal affair, and no foreign country has the right to make irresponsible remarks or interfere in the matter. China urges the U.S. side to correct its mistakes, refrain from implementing the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" and executive order, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs in any way, Zheng said. "I would like to sternly warn the U.S. side that China will resolutely counterattack any bullying and injustice imposed on China by the United States, and its attempt to block China's development is doomed to failure. We urge the U.S. side to stop its slanders and provocations against China and not to go further down the wrong path," Zheng said. App stores such as the Google Play Store and Apple App Store are now required by EU law to treat developers more fairly. Thats based on a new set of regulations introduced last year but reportedly going into effect as of July 12. With the new rules in place, Google, Apple, and other distributors will need to be more transparent. In some cases, the new regulation may also force distributors to reconsider terms found in developer contracts. Involved companies have effectively had a year to put changes in place for compliance. And theyll now face stiff consequences for any compliance failures. Precisely how this new EU regulation impacts app stores and developers is fairly straightforward. For starters, developers will now receive 30-day advance notice if their apps are going to be removed. That way, developers have time to either address concerns or lodge a complaint about the removal. The sole exception to that, helping protect users, is apps that are malicious, infringe on copyrights, or are illegal. Advertisement Of course, that notice also needs to specify exactly why the app is in danger of being removed too. The EU regulations go a long way to protect app developers The terms and conditions set by contracts signed by developers need to be detailed in advance too. Developers need to be given a 15-day notice, to be exact. And thats in addition to requirements that distributors rework contracts for clarity. Those now need to be in plain language thats easy for non-legal-experts to understand. Finally, app stores operating in the EU also need to be more transparent about pretty much everything. That starts with transparency with regard to whether any apps or developers are receiving preferential treatment. That has to be disclosed by the distributor for all to see. And a similar requirement is now in place for rankings too. Advertisement More specifically, companies like Google and Apple will need to clearly define their ranking algorithms. Those are the methods utilized to define top apps. Further regulation is expected that will remove the need for developers to optimize their listings for ranking in the future as well. Finally, platforms such as the Google Play Store will now be required to be more transparent on data collection. More succinctly, theyll need to disclose what data they access both personal and non-personal as well as what data theyre collecting. Not all app markets are included here Now, there are some platforms for apps that will be entirely out of the protections as they stand in current regulation. Thats because the rules only apply to a narrowly defined group of distributors. Namely, those are distributors that act as a middle-man in transactions between customers and developers. Advertisement So the Google Play Store and Apple App Store are included. But Google Play Pass, Apple Arcade, and console-makers will largely be excluded. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on July 2 to send an amended draft of the EARN IT Acta bill that both attacks free speech and surreptitiously abolishes encrypted electronic communicationsto the Senate floor prior to leaving for the two-week Fourth of July recess. The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2020 (EARN IT), which falsely claims to protect children from online sexual abuse, was approved unanimously by twelve Republicans and ten Democrats on the committee. The modified bipartisan legislation was co-sponsored by Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (Republican of South Carolina) and US Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat of Connecticut) and approved after two amendments had been introduced to it. Lindsey Graham and Pres. Donald Trump (Image Credit: Whitehouse Flickr) The first of these changes removed the Department of Justice as the government body charged with enforcing the best practices proposed by a national commission for websites, social media platforms, internet service providers and other online services to avoid liability for content posted by users and other third parties that qualifies as online child sexual abuse material. While the national commission still includes the attorney general, secretary of Homeland Security, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and 16 others chosen by Congress, compliance with the commissions best practices will be voluntary and the states will be responsible for enforcing them. The second change concerns the protections granted under what is known as Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which states, No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. The original provisions of the EARN IT Act required companies to earn their Section 230 protections. The bill approved by the committee removes entirely the earn it concept and opens tech companies up to criminal or civil charges against them by state governments. Numerous tech and free speech experts and organizations immediately attacked the new legislation as a bait and switch which, far from improving upon the terms of the original draft presented by Graham and Blumenthal last March, intensifies its assault on free speech and electronic communications free from government surveillance. Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, wrote that the EARN IT Act uses widespread resentment about Section 230 to stage an attack on encryption. Encryption, particularly end-to-end encryption, is likely to be targeted as being contrary to best practices for preventing [child sexual abuse material], because if a provider cannot see the contents of files on its service due to encryption, it is harder to detect [child sexual abuse material] files. The Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote on July 2, instead of giving a 19-person federal commission, dominated by law enforcement, the power to regulate the Internet, the bill now effectively gives that power to state legislatures. And instead of requiring that Internet websites and platforms comply with the commissions best practices in order to keep their vital legal protections under Section 230 for hosting user content, it simply blows a hole in those protections. In a comment on the passage of the redraft through the Senate committee, Graham said, To those who shared the horrors of child sexual abuse on the internet with the Committee, you inspired us to act and you made it impossible for us to look away. The bill is also cosponsored by leading Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein of California, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Dick Durbin of Illinois. A particularly significant role was played by Leahy, who introduced an amendment purportedly to address concerns about how the bill undermines encryption technologies. While Leahys amendment prohibits holding companies liable because they use end-to-end encryption, device encryption, or other encryption services, the bill encourages state lawmakers to look for ways to undermine end-to-end encryption, such as forcing messages to be scanned for content violations on a local device before they get encrypted and sent along to their recipient. The unanimous support of leading Democrats and Republicans for the reactionary EARN IT legislation indicates that US political establishment is arriving at a consensus for establishing government control of online content and communications. As powerful contradictions intensify within capitalist society along with the expansion of the internet, mobile wireless devices and social mediautilized by a growing movement of the working class and young people from belowthe ruling establishment is moving toward a regime of censorship and unfettered invasion of privacy. In May, just as mass demonstrations were beginning to unfold across the country after the brutal murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, President Donald Trump issued a threat to close down or strongly regulate the social media platforms by removing their Section 230 protections after Twitter placed fact checking flags on his tweets. There are also the efforts of the US Justice Department and Attorney General William Barr to pursue a lawsuit against Google for alleged anti-trust violationsincluding an implicit threat to break up the Silicon Valley tech monopolyas well as congressional legislation that will force consumer mobile device manufacturers such as Apple to build law enforcement back-door access into their data encryption products. YEREVAN, 16 JULY, ARMENPRESS: The international community should clearly understand the terroristic nature and attitudes of Azerbaijani leadership and take concrete actions in order to sober up Azerbaijani aggressive policy which cannot be defined anyhow but war-crimes-oriented and security threat towards civilian population of Armenia, neighbouring states, the region as whole and the globe in general. In the same time it should be stated that ongoing operations carried out by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia are the only acting and effective guarantee of regional and global security. The Head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan threatened with military attack towards the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, saying At the same time, the Armenian side should not forget that the latest missile systems, which are in service with our army, allow hitting the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant with high precision, which can lead to a huge catastrophe for Armenia. We would like to express our deepest concerns on the very existence of such statements strictly contradicting the core principles of Geneva Conventions and customary International Humanitarian Law. Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions strictly stipulated that Works or installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations , shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population. Other military objectives located at or in the vicinity of these works or installations shall not be made the object of attack if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces from the works or installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian population (Additional Protocol I, Article 56 (adopted by consensus)). Practice of the International organizations concerned is also witnessing that such attempts are considered as acts contradicting International Law. In particular, the UN General Assembly in numerous resolutions addressed the issue of any threat to attack and destroy nuclear facilities, stating clearly that it constitutes a violation of the Charter of the United Nations (the UNGA RES 38/9, 10 November 1983, para. 3) The IAEA in several resolutions between 1987 and 1990, the stated that it considered an attack against nuclear installations used for pacific ends to be contrary to international law (IAEA. Res. GC(XXXI)/RES/475, 25 September 1987, preamble; Res. GC(XXIX)/RES/444. 27 September 1985. Para. 2; Res. GC(XXXIV)/RES/533, 21 September 1990, Para. 3) Despite the fact that Azerbaijan is still not a Party to the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions it is necessary to emphasize the very said provision is also a part of customary International humanitarian law binding Azerbaijan as well as all the other countries. Such statements also contradicts to the Azerbaijani domestic legislation, in particular, the Criminal Code which is prescribing in particular that directing attacks against installations which may cause severe damage to civilian objects or severe losses among the civilian population constitutes a war crime under in international and non-international armed conflicts (Article 116.12, the Criminal Code of Azerbaijani Republic). It is due to mention that Statute of International Criminal Court considered as a war crimes also: Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects or widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment which would be clearly excessive in relation to the concrete and direct overall military advantage anticipated (Article 8.2b(iv)); Dr. Vladimir Vardanyan is the Chair of the Standing Committee on the State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and earn a $40 gift card! In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Elementis plc (LON:ELM) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward. Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. View our latest analysis for Elementis What's the estimated valuation? We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$59.8m US$72.0m US$67.9m US$65.5m US$64.1m US$63.3m US$63.0m US$63.1m US$63.3m US$63.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x4 Est @ -5.69% Est @ -3.62% Est @ -2.16% Est @ -1.15% Est @ -0.44% Est @ 0.06% Est @ 0.41% Est @ 0.65% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 12% US$53.6 US$57.9 US$48.9 US$42.3 US$37.1 US$32.9 US$29.3 US$26.3 US$23.7 US$21.4 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$373m Story continues We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 12%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030 (1 + g) (r g) = US$64m (1 + 1.2%) (12% 1.2%) = US$624m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$624m ( 1 + 12%)10= US$209m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$582m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK0.7, the company appears about fair value at a 15% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. dcf Important assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. 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 Elementis 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 12%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.493. 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. Looking Ahead: Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Elementis, there are three further factors you should explore: Risks: Take risks, for example - Elementis has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does ELM'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. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. The medical company of the 18th Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon participates in an emergency defense drill, codenamed "hedgehog", on July 14. (Photo by Huang Shifeng) By Huang Shifeng BEIRUT, July.16 -- The medical company of the 18th Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon participated in an emergency defense drill, codenamed "hedgehog", organized by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Sector East on July 14. On the afternoon of July 14, an alarm sounded over the camp area. Chinese peacekeepers immediately ran to the tactical bunkers following the order of the duty officer. The inspection and verification teams dispatched by the UNIFIL drill headquarters inspected the two bunkers in the camp area and checked with the personnel composition, weaponry, medical instruments and combat readiness materials. The emergency response team dispatched by the UNIFIL drill headquarters inspects the work of Chinese medical company during the emergency defense drill on July 14. (Photo by Huang Shifeng) Such emergency defense drills are conducted on a quarterly basis, which used to be carried out during breaks, with the alert level being red. But this time, it was carried out during work time, and the alert level was black as the highest level. Li Ruzhen, captain of China's 18th peacekeeping medical company to Lebanon, applauded such actual-combat drills which he thought would help test and improve the emergency response capability of the Chinese peacekeepers. HELSINKI, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood is a renewable and strong construction material that stores carbon, yet it accounts only for a very small fraction of global construction. Open Source Wood is a collaboration platform for architects, engineers, students and professionals in wood construction to share their innovations in modular wood construction. Open Source Wood offers innovation, ideas and a library of element and module designs, freely available to everyone. Now, Open Source Wood also offers easy access to structural calculation tools. The methods and regulations in construction are often very localised, and there is no one tool that can serve all areas and markets. The newest addition to Open Source Wood platform is a "Tools" listing, which has been developed to serve engineers and other professionals seeking help in structural calculations, design or finding the software tools for the task. The Tools page offers a collection of useful tools suitable for wood construction. Most of the tools are developed by external third parties, and the list also identifies the ones that are compatible with the local National Annexes. In the launch phase, the site has some basic tools, but it will evolve over time to house more versatile tools, both in function and geographically. Currently the listing includes: basic calculators for wooden nail, screw and bolt connections fire safety design tools design software list with their National Annexes pre-design span tables for LVL structures The development of the Open Source Wood platform has been supported by the Wood Building Programme of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The aim of the project was to connect the content of Open Source Wood with the software and tools that designers and engineers use daily. The first phase of the project focused on modelling tools and making the first Open Source Wood design objects available to AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD and SketchUp design software. The second phase provides a listing of useful tools for designers to use. The project is partly funded by:Open Source Wood is continuously looking for new ways to help knowledge-sharing in wood construction. If you have ideas or tools that can help modular wood construction to grow and develop, join the initiative and start sharing at opensourcewood.com. Visit Tools site at Open Source Wood. Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/-FScV687DKHS For more information, please contact: Viivi Kylama Marketing Manager, Metsa Wood tel. +358-40-820-9850 [email protected] For press information in UK, please contact: Matt Trace Director, Defero Communications tel. 07828663988 [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/metsa-wood/r/open-source-wood-gathers-structural-calculation-tools-in-one-place,c3155416 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Metsa Wood More than $10.7 billion has been paid out to New Jersey workers claiming unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic began in March, the Department of Labor announced Thursday. Roughly 38,150 unemployment applications were filed during the week ending July 11, bringing the total to nearly 1.4 million claims filed since mid-March, the state Labor Department also announced. Those numbers represent a 20% decrease from the previous week, when 47,000 claims were filed due to state worker furloughs and the end of the school year. The coronavirus pandemic, which pushed Gov. Phil Murphy to order all non-essential businesses to close in March, fueled the skyrocketing unemployment claims as the states economy grinded to a near-halt. More than $825 million in state and federal income benefits were paid out in the last week, including $2.2 million for the first week of the states extended benefit payments, according to the Department of Labor. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage When the unemployment rate hit double digits, it triggered 20 additional weeks of extended benefits. Before then, workers maxed out at 39 weeks. Now, they are eligible for a total of 59 weeks. (New Jerseys unemployment rate was 16.1% in June. The nationwide unemployment rate is 11.1%.) In times of economic distress and employment uncertainty, its important to be able to offer an additional 20-week safety net to our residents who remain out of work through no fault of their own, Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said. Workers will be automatically enrolled into extended program when their benefits are exhausted, the agency said. They do not need to call an agent or reapply for benefits. However, gig workers, independent contractors and the self-employed, who were eligible for the 39 weeks of federal benefits, will receive seven additional weeks of benefits from the state, for a total of 46 weeks. And while new filings have largely slowed in recent weeks as businesses begin reopening and some New Jerseyans return to work, the unprecedented number of claims since March left a backlog in the states unemployment system. Of the 1.2 million applicants eligible to receive benefits, about 96% have received money, the Labor Department said. But thousands still report they have not received benefits. Some Republican senators are calling on Murphy to reopen the unemployment offices to deal with the deluge of claims, citing the recent reopening of Motor Vehicle Commissions. But the Labor Department has already said it has no timeline to reopen unemployment offices. In June, the Labor Department announced it would borrow $1.7 billion from the federal government to replenish the states unemployment fund for August, September and October. To date, claimants have received more than $3 billion through state unemployment benefits and $7 billion in federal benefits through the CARES Act. New Jersey workers who are eligible for unemployment may receive 60 percent of their wages, up to $713. Through the end of July, recipients will also receive $600 in additional Pandemic Unemployment Assistance payments from the federal coronavirus stimulus package. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips - Sharon Cuneta addressed the bashings her husband, Senator Francis Kiko Pangilinan, receives due to his criticisms of the Duterte administration - The Megastar has admitted that her family is getting extremely stressed by all of the criticisms he gets on social media - According to the Megastar, she wants to refrain from talking about politics but she has to stand up for her husband and for what is right - She also worries for her children who have nothing to do with politics but are getting involved in the bashings PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Photo from Flickr Source: UGC Sharon Cuneta took to social media to address the bashings her husband, Senator Francis Kiko Pangilinan, receives due to his criticisms of the Duterte administration. KAMI learned that Sharon has admitted that her family is getting extremely stressed by all of the criticisms he gets on social media. According to the Megastar, she wants to refrain from talking about politics but she has to stand up for her husband and for what is right. She also worries for her children who have nothing to do with politics but are getting involved in the bashings. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback So now, my husband naman. I want to refrain from posting about politics na, but sorry po - I have to stand up for what is right - especially if it involves someone I love. Matagal ko na pinalampas ang mga pamimintas at masasakit na salita laban sa asawa ko, pero hindi na po kaya ng pamilya namin. Lalo na ng mga anak naming wala namang malay at di hiniling na dito sa pamilya namin sila isilang. I wonder wholl be next? Going too far. So sad. O, Pilipinas naming mahal...ano na ang ginagawa sa iyo...Dear God, You are alive, You see all, You know all. We trust only in YOU. Kalma lang. Nandyan ang Panginoon. At KAMI, NANANALIG SA KANIYA. Bilog ang mundo. At mapalad ang inaapi. God bless us all, Sharon posted on Instagram. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Sharon Cuneta is one of the most famous and successful showbiz personalities in the country, known by many as The Megastar. She is married to Senator Kiko Pangilinan, the father of social media star Frankie Pangilinan. Sharon also has a daughter named KC Concepcion with her former husband, Gabby Concepcion. The Megastar has repeatedly made headlines in recent days and weeks due to her social media posts. She defended her daughter Frankie Pangilinan after her physical appearance was bashed by a Duterte supporter. She also called out a Duterte supporter who threatened to commit a heinous crime against Frankie for voicing out her complaints about the Duterte administration. Furthermore, Sharon Cuneta shocked a lot of people when she expressed her desire for Vice President Leni Robredo to become the President of the Philippines once Dutertes term ends. She explained that having Robredo as the President might help make Filipinos more decent. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh Luanda Angolan health authorities Wednesday in Luanda admitted the country is actually experiencing cases of community spread of the covid-19 in the capital. According to the minister of State and head of the Security Affairs Office to the Presidency, Pedro Sebastiao, the covid-19 community transmission announcement follows the detection as of late of several cases with unknown links in Luanda after mass testing in various large public concentration places involving 15,139 people. The authorities said as well 35 new positive cases of covid-19 have been detected in the country in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 576 infections. With the new cases reported, Angola's covid-19 statistics show 576 positive cases (475 of local transmission), 27 deaths, 124 recoveries and 425 active patients. China Summons US Ambassador Over Move to Strip Hong Kong of Preferential Trade Status Sputnik News 18:56 GMT 15.07.2020(updated 19:15 GMT 15.07.2020) President Trump enacted two Hong Kong-related measures on Tuesday, stripping the city of its preferential trade status and sanctioning Chinese officials responsible for implementing a new national security law in the autonomous city. Beijing immediately blasted the moves, promising a tit-for-tat response. China formally summoned US Ambassador Terry Branstad Wednesday to express its displeasure with the US move to strip Hong Kong of its special trade status, and to voice its opposition to the Hong Kong Human Autonomy Act drafted by Congress and signed by the US president this week. In a statement accompanying the summons cited by the People's Daily, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang was said to have urged the US diplomat to convey to Washington the need to "correct the mistake" made through America's "vehement interference" in China's internal affairs. "We urge the US to change its course immediately, stop defamation and provocation against China, and do not go further and further on the wrong path," the official was quoted as saying. "The Hong Kong [law] and the executive order were concocted by the US not because it cares about democracy and freedom of Hong Kong people, but as a means to hinder the development of China. Such a scheme will never succeed," Zheng stressed. The Chinese official also warned that Beijing would not hesitate to sanction US nationals and entities to protect its interests on a tit-for-tat basis. "China has and will continue to take countermeasures to resolutely safeguard the core interests. I want to tell the United States that any bullying and injustice imposed on China by the US will be resolutely countered by China. The United States' attempt to block China's development is doomed to failure," he noted. The summons comes following a formal Foreign Ministry statement condemning the US's Hong Kong-related decisions, and threatening "countermeasures" if the US didn't correct course immediately. On Tuesday, President Trump signed the so-called 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act' into law. Among other things, the legislation envisions sanctions against "foreign individuals and entities that materially contribute to China's failure to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy." The same day, Trump also signed an executive order formally ending the US's preferential trade status for Hong Kong over alleged "repressive actions" against the city's residents. Hong Kong has enjoyed autonomy within the People's Republic of China under the 'One Country, Two Systems' constitutional principal granted to it and Macau after they became Special Administrative Regions in 1997 and 1999, respectively. Recently, the city implemented a new national security law which pro-autonomy critics allege have squashed the city's unique status. Among the law's provisions is the banning of political groups financed from abroad, and the criminalization of secessionist and subversive sentiments. The law was passed a year after the start of mass anti-government protests in the Asian financial hub related to an extradition law. Along with the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, the UK, and multiple other countries have expressed concerns over the security law, with Beijing calling on each of these nations to avoid interfering in its internal affairs. An estimated 1,300 US companies presently operate in Hong Kong, including nearly 300 regional headquarters for Asia operations. Hong Kong officials estimate that American companies' operations in the city have netted America a trade surplus of nearly $300 billion over the past ten years, helping bridge the gap in the US's massive $350-$400 billion-a-year trade deficit with China as a whole. By itself, the city is the third and fourth largest importer of US wines and beef in the world, respectively. The US, by contrast, is said to account for just 0.1 percent of Hong Kong's manufactured goods exports. This, local officials say, means Washington will face more serious losses than Hong Kong if the special trade status was scrapped. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address COVID Prison Release: State To Start With Non-Violent Inmates Over Age 30 Prison officials announced July 10 that an estimated 8,000 incarcerated individuals will be eligible for early release by the end of August, in order to stem the COVID-19 outbreak in Californias prison system. These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Secretary Ralph Diaz said. We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns with both public health and public safety. Multiple prisons in California have become COVID-19 hotspots in recent months. According to the CDCR, 2,286 incarcerated people have tested positive for the virus and 31 have died across the states prison system as of July 10. ADVERTISEMENT CDCR prison population reduction guidelines prioritize the release of incarcerated people who have 365 days or less to serve in their sentences; are not currently serving time for domestic violence or violent crimes; and have no convictions that require them to register as sex offenders. While individuals age 30 and over who meet these criteria are immediately eligible for release, those age 29 or younger will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We have an unprecedented moment in time to actually augment the work of prison reform and the reduction of the already overcrowded conditions that have persisted, said Joe Paul, Managing Director of the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership and Director of Political and Civic Affairs, City of Refuge Church-L.A. The announcement follows a July 8 press conference organized by the #StopSanQuentinOutbreak Coalition to amplify concerns of the people incarcerated at San Quentin, the oldest prison in California. Some elected officials attended the press conference, including Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymembers Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), and Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), as well as family members and friends of people currently incarcerated at San Quentin, which is located north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin County. According to the CDCR, San Quentin, which is a mens prison, has had 1,880 positive cases among its incarcerated population and staff as of July 10. In June, Amend at UC San Francisco, an advocacy organization focused on changing negative aspects of correctional culture, and Berkeley Public Health released a memo calling for the state to reduce the prisons population to below 50% of its current capacity. During a press conference last week, Gov. Newsom acknowledged the problem at San Quentin. Its a concern, always has been. We have not been shy about leaning in on this over the course of many, many months, said the governor. We still have a lot more work to do and we recognize our responsibility. ADVERTISEMENT As a longer-term strategy to reduce the states prison population beyond the San Quentin drawdown, Paul said decision makers in Californias criminal justice system should assess the states prison population and identify low-risk or elderly inmates that could successfully do the minimum required time for their conviction and receive adequate rehabilitative support, while incarcerated. Then they should be released based on good behavior and other suitability conditions for successful reintegration into community, he continued. California Black Media also spoke with James King, member of the #StopSanQuentinOutbreak Coalition and State Campaigner for the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center for Human Justice. We [the Coalition] continue to agree with the public health experts who have said that at least a 50% reduction in the incarceration rate is necessary for public health safety, not just for people inside the prison but people outside of prison, the activist said. But he says getting to the 50 percent goal will not be immediate. This is less than a 10% reduction, over the course of several months. So its really modest. Its an improvement, but its an incremental one. We need bold decisive action here, King said. Previously incarcerated at San Quentin, King was released last December. For him, there are other ways the state could assist incarcerated people once they are released. According to the CDCR, about seventy percent of people consistently have somewhere to go. Also, theres Project Roomkey, in which the state has paid for several hotel rooms, King continued. Our suggestion would be that they be allowed to go there for the first 14 days post-release in order to safely quarantine, and then return to their families. At the press conference, Assemblymember Levine called for sustained action. We must sustain our attention here at San Quentin, and at every facility where people are sentenced for time and locked up across the state of California, he said. We need to sustain this attention because unfortunately COVID-19 is not going away. So we cant let our guard down. Activists say they want the state to base inmate releases on data and best practices learned from past experience. The science of people aging out of crime, as well as the CDCRs own risk assessments that have identified tens of thousands of people as low risk for recidivism or violence should be the criteria, King said. And we stand by ready to help facilitate and use our resources to facilitate safe reentry. A historic order of nuns who minister to the elderly poor gained a reprieve from the Supreme Court Wednesday. The Little Sisters of the Poor have been called the world's most tenacious nuns for battling with the past eight years in court to reject government coercion. Wanting to protect their freedom of conscience, they fought till victory they earned for themselves as well as on the behalf of all other religious non-profits. A majority of justices upheld a Trump administration rule exempting employers with religious and moral objections from providing contraception in group healthcare plans. Knowing the importance of the decisions and statements, The Little Sisters controversy dates back to the 2010 passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, (Obamacare), which delegated to the Department of Health and Human Services the task of designing a list of "preventive care" measures that would be required in many employer-provided health plans. In a 7-2 decision, the majority held that in 2017, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created the exemption in a way that squared with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the exemption was not procedurally defective. "For over 150 years, the Little Sisters have engaged in faithful service and sacrifice, motivated by a religious calling to surrender all for the sake of their brother," wrote Justice Clarence Thomas. "We hold today that the Departments had the statutory authority to craft that exemption." The refusal by HHS to address numerous religious objections by sufficiently modifying the mandate prompted dozens of lawsuits involving hundreds of individuals and organizations as plaintiffs, among them Hobby Lobby and the Little Sisters. Yet when the Trump Administration promised a revamped and expanded religious exemption and provided one in 2018, several blue states objected and sued to block the new rule, leading the Little Sisters to join the fray once again to protect the hard-fought victory they earned for themselves as well as on behalf of all other religious non-profits. Christians in India are suffering through serious illness, beatings, and murder throughout COVID-19. The Coronavirus has been affecting many believers located in India especially because Hindu is their official religion. Christians in India are enduring deadly violence and threats from their elders. Causing possible expulsion or even death, many believers in India live in serious concern. According to OpenDoors, Kirti, a young mother in rural India, is one of the Hindu people who found the one, true God among the millions in her country. She turned from her Hindu gods to follow Jesus while attending a church service away from her village. As with many Christians in India, God miraculously healed Kirti from a debilitating disease at a worship service. As some of the Christians agreed to stop worshiping out of fear, Kirti's family refused to deny Jesus. Because of her bold faith in Jesus, Kirti's village elders continued to beat her and her husband for not listening to them. Frustrated with Kirti's attitude of not denying her new God and returning to the Hindu faith, the elders continue to threaten her and her family. According to Open Doors, the few Christians gathered to pray and sing quietly as soon a pastor from another village came to lead them. Knowing there will be consequences, the faith in their hearts was too large, so they eventually started a secret gathering in their house on Sundays. "But in a small village, it's difficult to keep anything a secret for long. This healing received the attention of the elders, and they brought the young man to a meeting for questioning-similar to the blind man who was healed by Jesus in John 9." Few days later, the mob came into Kiri's home and searched for her bible as they threatened to kill her if she continued to worship Jesus. The crowd dragged the Christians out of Kirti's house and began beating them violently. "They were beating us with sticks, kicking and punching us mercilessly," Kirti explained. The mob eventually found Kirti's Bible, lit it on fire and burned it in front of her. Then they ransacked the house and stole all of her food, rice, wheat, and vegetables, as well as her chickens and goats. All the while, Kirti kept praying, "Lord, save us if you want to save us!" The elders later made an announcement through a loudspeaker telling everyone in the village to come for a feast. It was there they cooked Kirti's food and animals and shared it with all the villagers. They literally ate her livelihood... "This is what you get for following Jesus," they exclaimed. While most Christians were injured, Kirti received the worst of it with a broken back, something that still hinders her today. They were all rushed to the hospital where Kirti stayed for over two weeks in recovery. It was at this moment that Open Doors heard about Kirti and the Christians in her village... Through partners, Open Doors was able to help them pay the medical bills and provided spiritual care and support for the small number of courageous Christians in her village. When Kirti and her husband returned to their home, everyone in the village stopped talking to them and refused to let them draw water from the village well. Accordingly, the believers in the village kept quiet for a while, but slowly a few Christians began stopping by Kirti's home again for prayer. It was a dangerous act of defiance and when the elders heard their beatings and public shaming didn't stop the believers from following Jesus, they were infuriated. One late night, a group of men carrying ropes surrounded Kirti's home. They knocked on the door, rushed in and grabbed Kirti's husband by force. Kirti tried to stop them. "Where are you taking my husband?" she screamed The men ignored her cries, pushed her back in the house and locked her in her own home. The men who took her husband tortured him in unthinkable ways for days. Kirti tried to find him, and when she finally did, he didn't recognize her. He was taken away and murdered. Kirti was only a short distance away and heard his cries. Then the men allowed Kirti and a few other Christians to take him. However, there were no arrests or prosecutions for her husband's killers. Once she returned home, the village leaders refused to allow her to bury her husband in the village cemetery. So Kirti took her husband's body to a plot of land outside of the village and buried him there. A few other Christians joined her for a small ceremony. Throughout the devastating moment, Kirti continued to stay bold and have strong faith in God knowing God will be present. With full tears in her eyes, she requests for prayer, help, and support for her family and the other believers who currently live in India. As she moved to a safer house, Open Door's partners helped Kirti and her children with food supplies, clothing, blankets, financial support and spiritual care. Her injuries prevent her from working, and she continues to be in great danger. "[You] helped me financially and because of your help, my kids are attending school," Kirti shares. Through incredible suffering and loss, Kirti's faith is still unshakeable. "I have committed everything into the hands of Jesus," "When I feel sad, I remember the Word of God. In all my trials, He helps me. I cannot read or write, but I memorize what the pastor teaches me. Because of attacks, many new Christians are leaving the faith, but I'm stable in my faith. Thanks to your care and love, I'm still alive and a follower of Jesus today." Despite the risk, Kirti has returned to her village to be a light for Christ once again. Please continue praying for Kirti and other Christians in India who are attacked for following Jesus. A Sheriff in Florida made an announcement that his deputies are to pay tribute to fallen law enforcement officers across America whenever they die. After the murders of Texas police officers Ismael Chavez and Edelmiro Garza over the weekend, Sheriff Mike Chitwood of Volusia County, Florida, released a statement on his offices Facebook page in their honor late Sunday. Effective immediately, when a Law Enforcement Officer is killed in the line of duty anywhere in this great country we will wear our mourning crepes over our badges for five consecutive days, the Sheriff wrote. All Sheriffs Office installations will fly the American flag at half staff during this mourning period, he added. The Volusia Sheriffs Office Facebook page will pay tribute to our fallen brothers or sisters and their families during this period of remembrance. Officers Chavez and Garza of McAllen Police Department, Texas, were both killed in what authorities called an ambush shooting while answering a domestic violence call last Saturday. To honor our fellow Law Enforcement Officers who were assassinated this weekend answering a domestic violence call in Texas, we will begin wearing our mourning crepes commencing tomorrow morning at 7am and conclude Friday, July 17th at 7am. The Sheriff added, I would ask that you take a moment this week to remember these fallen officers, along with their families, who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep their communities and our great Nation safe. Please keep them in your prayers. Volusia County deputies will wear the mourning crepes on their badges through Friday in remembrance of officers Chavez and Garza. On Wednesday, a public viewing was held for the fallen officers, while the funeral took place on Thursday morning with interment immediately following in Mission, Texas, The Monitor reported. The services were open to the public, according to city spokesperson Xochitl Mora, though the number of attendees were limited due to virus-containment restrictions. I think theres a lot of issues that make this mourning extremely difficult for our community in that so many people do want to express their condolences, and their thoughts and prayers and love and support for the families of our fallen officers, Mora said. But obviously we are in a pandemic so that traditional way of being with the family and be close to them is difficult. We do have to maintain that social distancing, even with a venue as large as the McAllen Convention Center. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Starting a career or a family doesnt always mean moving away from your family. In fact, multigenerational households are increasingly common in the U.S., with one in six Americans now living with parents, grandparents or other relatives. Thats according to advocacy group Generations United, which says the 51.4 million Americans who now live in multigenerational households represents a 10% increase since 2007. Choosing to merge generations under one roof reflects a number of changes, some cultural and some financial. Millennials have led the movement toward multigenerational households, with the Census finding about one in three people between the ages of 18 to 34 lived with their parents in 2015. While some adults move home to save money such as the case of millennials, many of whom are saddled with student loans others are drawn by benefits that reach far beyond the financial. The Kim family at their multigenerational home in Orange County, California. Buying a home: Youve found a house you like. Now what? Take Tae and Monnica Kim, who moved into his parents Buena Park, California, home about seven years ago after his parents suggested the idea. Tae Kim says their arrangement was mutually beneficial, with he and his spouse covering the mortgage and other overhead expenses while Taes mother watched their two children. That allowed Tae and Monnica, a nurse, to focus on their careers and save money. The huge benefit was that both of us were able to continue to commit full time to our careers, says Kim, 39, a finance director who blogs about personal finance and multigenerational living. If we were living off of one income, we wouldn't be able to save as much as we would be able to do right now. But the benefits go far beyond money, adds Monnica Kim, 35. One of the main benefits of living with my in-laws is to have our children exposed to their grandparents on a daily basis, she notes. They could have actually a lot more quality time together and create a lot of memories. Grandparents Bok Nam Kim and Yeongsoon Kim take their grandchildren Jonathan and Katherine Kim to the park for a day of kite flying. The coronavirus pandemic may result in more multigenerational households, even as some families find themselves isolated due to travel restrictions between states and other hurdles. The stresses of the pandemic are already shifting Americans living patterns, with a July report from the Pew Research Center finding that one in five U.S. adults either moved due to the crisis or knows someone who did. Story continues Below are tips from the Kims about how to create a successful multigenerational household. Understand the pros and cons before you move in Discuss the benefits and disadvantages before you make the jump, Monnica Kim says. That means having honest conversations with your spouse as well as the relatives youll be moving in with, she notes. We have to come to understanding of what are the tradeoffs that we're making in order to make this work, Tae Kim adds. Hey, there are financial benefits. There are benefits that our children are having living with their grandparents. But, he adds, there are also costs and not only financial costs. Are we willing to pay that cost of the generational and the cultural differences that we have to navigate every day? Kim notes of living with his parents, who were born in Korea after the Korean War. Find quality time for your partner Parents Monnica and Tae Kim decided to move in with Tae's parents before their first child, Jonathan, was born. The move helped them pay off $105,000 in student loans and continue to work full-time. Living with other generations under one roof means youll need to carve out time for your spouse, Tae Kim adds. Its rare to find just alone time together, he says. You have to be very intentional about spending quality time, whether you're going out for a walk or you're going out for a meal, and then coordinating that with the grandparents to ensure that your marriage is healthy. Respect each others boundaries Physical boundaries can be helpful, with the Kims noting that their bedroom and their kids room is one side of the house, while his parents bedroom is on the opposite side. That really helps out with having a physical boundary that we can respect each other's privacy, he says. Lastly, being able to help his parents during the pandemic is a plus, especially because older people face higher risks from COVID-19, Tae Kim adds. The really nice thing is that we can keep an eye on my parents in a way to make sure that they're staying safe, he says. Contributing: Andrea Kramar Aimee Picchi is a business journalist whose work appears in publications including USA TODAY, CBS News and Consumer Reports. She spent almost a decade covering tech and media for Bloomberg News. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Multigenerational households on the rise. Prepare for pros and cons Record numbers of cases and deaths were popping up throughout the country. Texas reported 129 new deaths Thursday, and a third of the more than 3,400 COVID-19 fatalities registered there since the pandemic began were reported in the first two weeks of July alone. Health officials also reported more than 10,000 confirmed new cases for the third straight day. You are here: World Flash The Chinese government on Wednesday handed over the second batch of medical supplies to help Namibia combat the COVID-19 epidemic. The donation to Namibia's Health Ministry, valued at 4.3 million Namibia dollars (260,000 U.S. dollars), included 5,000 disposable medical protective clothing, 15,000 face masks for medical use, 150,000 surgical masks, 7,000 medical protective goggles, 7,000 disposable surgical gloves, and 3,000 shoe covers. Namibian Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula thanked China for the donation and for its technical support and capacity-building assistance. "Obtaining these supplies from the outside market has been very challenging due to travel bans and restrictions worldwide," he said at a ceremony in Windhoek. Shangula said health workers and other frontline cadres are the most valuable assets in the fight and the technical support, capacity-building, and donations from China are highly appreciated. Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming, hopes the donated supplies will play an important role in Namibia's fight against the epidemic at this critical moment. In April, Namibia received COVID-19 aid from the Chinese government and from the Jack Ma Foundation. Namibia has so far reported 960 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with two deaths and 31 recoveries. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unisync Corp. (TSX: "UNI") (Unisync") is pleased to announce that C. Scott Shepherd has been appointed to its board of directors. Born in Chatham, Ontario, Scott has a demonstrated history in working in international trade and business development. He has served on numerous Corporate Boards and Not-For-Profit entities. Skilled in negotiation, business planning and international business, he is known for his customer relationships and teambuilding. Scott is the National Chair of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council (CFLC), working closely with the Canadian Armed Forces and business leaders across Canada to forge better relationships for deployments of the Canadian Reserve Force, with over 170 volunteers and 35 Reserve Force personnel supporting and reporting to him. Long a supporter of small exporters, Scott was the founder and chief executive of Northstar Trade Finance Inc. which was instrumental in arranging financial support for over C$2.9 billion in exports for small and mid sized Canadian exporters (SMEs) during its 25 year history. Scott is also the founder and chair of the scholarship foundation for the children of fallen peace officers across Canada. This is funded through the activities of the Memorial Ribbon Society. Past volunteer activities have included being vice-chairman of the Richmond Hospital foundation, honorary President of St. John Ambulance British Columbia, serving on the St. George's and York House School boards and was the Honorary Consul for Uruguay for British Columbia, Alberta and The Yukon until May 2018, when he retired. He also holds the honorary appointment of Trade Counsellor and Advisor for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Scott is also the past honorary Lt. Colonel. of the British Columbia Regiment, Duke of Connaughts Own. He held this position for 6 years. Scott is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and the University of Western Ontario. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate directors (ICD) and has served for 10 years on the federal crown Board of Directors for Ridley Terminals. He also is very involved in supporting the arts and was an active board member on the National Arts Centre Foundation for 9 years, focusing on promoting Aboriginal Performing Arts at the Centre. He is currently Chair of MDS Aero Support Corporation in Ottawa. Story continues He was a recipient of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to Canada. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with such a great Canadian Company. From the iconic Canadian Armed Forces combat fatigues, to the Coast Guard, to the commercial clients of well known airlines, the companys products are visibly known to most Canadians. The Board and management are particularly innovative and nimble, and currently expanding to use their fabrication strengths in the marketplace to provide much needed personal protection equipment (PPE) for Canadians and their international clients. I am honoured to be asked to serve at this important time, commented Scott. We are extremely pleased to welcome someone of Scotts character and business experience to our board of directors, commented Douglas Good, Chairman. My fellow board members and I, as well as our CEO, Matthew Graham, look forward to working with Scott in continuing the future strategic growth of Unisync and improving our share of the managed supply of operational clothing and footwear in the Federal, Provincial/State and Municipal sectors. For more information on our capabilities, products and services please visit the Unisync website at www.unisyncgroup.com or at our dedicated PPE website www.unisyncmasks.ca to order your protective face coverings and related products. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Douglas F Good, Chairman Investor relations contact: Douglas F Good 778-370-1725 or Email dgood@unisyncgroup.com Forward Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risk and uncertainties that may cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such forward-looking statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Photo credit: Getty Images From Popular Mechanics This story was originally published in the August 1985 issue of Popular Mechanics. It's been visually updated for the 75th anniversary of the Trinity Nuclear Test that took place on July 16, 1945. This test was the world's first look at the power of the nuclear bomb. Fierce thunderstorms and unpredictable winds had kept Norbert Deare awake late into the sweltering summer night. He had helped batten down the filling station near Socorro, N.M., the night before, thinking there might even be an overnight flood. About 5:30 the next morning, Deare's worst fears seemed trivial as he was thrown out of bed by an apocalyptic explosion far more frightening than the worst thunder he'd ever heard. "The state police said it was an accidental explosion at the Army camp," Deare told an interviewer in documents released to Popular Mechanics by the Defense Department under the Federal Freedom of Information Act. "But it seemed more like the end of the world." That explosion, which took place seconds before 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, was, perhaps, the most significant event of the 20th century. Yet it was almost a month later before the people who witnessed it, and the rest of the world, learned of its true importance. They had witnessed the explosion of the first atomic bomb. Despite the fact that hundreds of scientists and thousands of support per sonnel had moved practically overnight into a sparsely populated part of the country, despite the strict security surrounding an enormous canvas-colored device that moved for days along the New Mexico prairie on a train; and, though the first A-bomb blast shook buildings all the way to El Paso, Texas, the War Department managed to keep the bomb a secret. How they built the bomb is a story that will be told over and over again during this, the 40th anniversary of the atomic era. But how they hid the bomb may be an even more spectacular tale. Story continues Even today, hundreds of documents relating to the first A-bomb test remain locked away under secret classification. Still unavailable are several documents relating the results of radiation tests following the test blast at what is now the White Sands Missile Range. Also still under wraps are correspondences that might shed light on how much information leaked during the weeks between the test and the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945. Among the startling facts uncovered in our investigation: Dozens of documents that had been available to the public but were never used suddenly became classified sometime in the 1970s. The governor of New Mexico in 1945 was not informed of the nature of the test until after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima the next month. FBI agents visited the publishers of several major newspapers the day after the test to quash potential stories that might raise questions about the test. Defense Department officials who have acknowledged that three different stories were prepared to explain the test to the public actually had prepared a half-dozen explanations. Among those not revealed until now was an explanation to cover civilian deaths in the Alamagordo, New Mexico, area. (In the end, the simplest explanation was released since no deaths were involved.) The security set up around the A-bomb development and test had a very composed and easy appearance, from the front gate to the dozens of labs where the bomb was being built. Beneath the genteel surface, however, stood a hard-as-nails network to protect the secret. Dorothy McKibbin typifies this security network. ''When newcomers arrived, it was my job to make them feel comfortable, get them located and not answer any questions," Mrs. McKibbin told us in a brief interview. In the two years before the first A-bomb was exploded, she was the official greeter at Los Alamos, the northern New Mexico mountain town where the A-bomb was developed. Mrs. McKibbin's job was to greet personnel arriving at the research camp and direct them to their quarters. Anyone arriving without orders was to be directed away by Mrs. McKibbin, now in her eighties. Keeping a Secret Photo credit: Historical - Getty Images To get an idea of how hard it was to keep the secret, consider the speed at which the Los Alamos compound grew. When the Army took over the 54,000acre site in 1942, the local population was under 250, including the faculty and students of the Los Alamos Ranch School. By the time the bomb was ready to be tested, the Los Alamos population hovered around 7,000. Directly or indirectly all worked for the Manhattan Engineering District, an Army unit whose name evolved into The Manhattan Project. Besides Los Alamos, the district itself also included uranium-processing facilities in Tennessee and Washington state. The two areas combined had fewer than 30,000 residents before the Manhattan Project, but by August 1945, nearly 90,000 people lived and worked around the two facilities. Under the direction of General Leslie Groves, who headed the Manhattan Project, security gradually came under the control of a special detachment headed by Major John Landsdale. The FBI, which had worked closely with the War Department's Counter Intelligence Corps in the first year of the project, began working directly with Landsdale in 1943, when security became his responsibility. The CIC had poor communications with the FBI, according to newspaper reports written over the past 20 years. Photo credit: Historical - Getty Images In addition to sheer numbers, Groves had to contend with scores of expatriate German scientists and with some American scientists who had shown sympathy to the Soviet Union. Groves was under White House orders to develop the bomb quickly. The Manhattan Project did, in fact, yield a nuclear explosion less than three years after it was organized. To work at such breakneck speed, normal security checks would not be possible. Not only that, but it was impossible to check deeply on scientists who had escaped Nazi Germany. Groves settled on the simplest solution to each security problem, reasoning correctly that the more elaborate the security, the more attention would be drawn to Manhattan Project activities. Standard security forms were used on new personnel. These would reveal names of friends, associates and organizations to which the applicant belonged. The FBI provided the Manhattan Project security people with backgrounders on all incoming personnel. Jobs were separated as much as possible so that no one person working on the project would know what another person was doing. For the most part, there were no security breakdowns. But the one that got away was explosive. Photo credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory German-born and English-educated physicist Carl Fuchs was arrested, after the bomb was developed, for passing secrets to the Russians. Neither court records nor documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shed light on what Fuchs told the Russians, and he never publicly revealed his activities. Keeping the press out of the picture was a major headache. Probably because there was a war on, the press was more cooperative than might be expected. Words like "atomic energy" were banned successfully from news stories. If a local Texas newspaper picked up a story that might reveal something about the A-bomb project, it stopped there. A Chicago newspaper, for example, would be barred from reporting the news to its readers. On the day of the blast at Trinity Test Site in New Mexico, a Chicago resident was traveling through New Mexico by train. He felt the blast and saw the sky light up. At the next stop, according to one published account, he raced to a telephone and called a Chicago newspaper. The traveler thought he had witnessed the fall of a giant meteor. The reporter wrote a brief article and filed it with the city editor. The next day, when she returned to work, FBI agents were waiting for her in the publisher's office. They explained to her that she should forget the story, and it never appeared. Explaining the Blast Photo credit: Getty Images Any accounts of the blast on July 16 were based on the terse news release finally issued by Los Alamos. It read: "Several inquiries have been received concerning a heavy explosion which occurred on the Alamogordo Air Base reservation this morning. A remotely located ammunition magazine containing a considerable amount of high explosives and pyrotechnics exploded. There was no loss of life or injury to anyone..." Photo credit: Eric BRISSAUD - Getty Images The true story would eventually be told, but only after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. To help provide the public with a credible account, the Manhattan Project allowed New York Times reporter William Laurence to live on the Los Alamos compound in the months leading to the blast. He kept the secret and wrote a celebrated series in the Times after Hiroshima. In the days before the blast, Jumbo a 180-ton steel container for testing the A-bomb-had to be moved under canvas wraps across the New Mexico desert to the Trinity Test Site. It rode on a specially designed, 200-ton freight car. Even the military policemen riding with the train knew nothing of its contents. They were told that it would be used to store high explosives. However, the container's unmistakable ballistic shape showed through the canvas, and many legends emerged. The most preposterous had it that the Army was working on a secret submarine in the desert. How the government hid the A-bomb in New Mexico from even those who lived next door already is an intriguing story. When the remaining documents are released, it may prove even more exciting. Photo credit: Education Images - Getty Images You Might Also Like A Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 106 miles north-west from St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the marking the start of Nord Stream pipeline construction on April 9, 2010. (Dmitry Lovetsky/AP Photo/ file) US Warns Firms It Stands Ready to Sanction Supporters of Russias New Gas Pipelines The Trump administration is warning investors in two Russian natural gas pipeline projects that they could face sanctions if the Kremlin uses energy exports as a tool of political influence. The State Department has updated its public guidance on the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to clarify that the Trump administration stands ready to sanction investments or other activities related to a broader scope of Russian energy export pipelines, including Nord Stream 2 and the second line of Turk Stream. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a press conference on July 15, Its a clear warning to companies aiding and abetting Russias malign influence projects will not be tolerated. Get out now, or risk the consequences, he warned. The United States considers the two energy projects key tools used by Russia to exploit and expand European dependence on Russian energy supplies and companies or persons that aid or abet them can be sanctioned, Pompeo said. These arent commercial projects, he added. They are tools that undermine Ukraine by cutting off gas transiting that critical democracy, a tool that ultimately undermines transatlantic security. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, on July 15, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters) The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, once completed, will transport natural gas about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) under the Baltic Sea directly from Russia to Germany without transiting any other country. The gas pipeline is owned by Russian state-run company Gazprom, and is similar to the Nord Stream pipeline thats already in operation and directly connects Germany with Russian gas. Before the first Nord Stream had been built, Russia exported its gas to European countries including Germany through pipelines transiting Ukraine. Ukraines energy infrastructure serves as a deterrent to Russian aggression, yet the Kremlin now seeks to undermine Ukraine by making that infrastructure obsolete, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Frank Fannon said at the press conference. The possibility to sanction Nord Stream 2 sends a clear signal about this administrations determination to use the tools we have to support energy security goals, he added. The United States, which has abundant reserves of natural gas, is trying to increase its exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe. It has also supported efforts by Europe to diversify its imports of LNG from sources other than Russia, including Norway. The United States supports diversification of energy sources, regardless of where that energy comes from or the type of energy, Fannon said. It supports the Southern Gas Corridor project intended to bring gas from the Caspian region to South, Central, and Western Europe as well as the development of energy sources in the Eastern Mediterranean, he added. Many countries in Europe are looking for opportunities to diversify their energy sources. Belarus has expanded its crude oil sources beyond Russia. Lithuania has acquired an LNG import vessel, and Poland has built an LNG terminal to bring gas from sources other than Russia, Fannon said. Ukraine, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, and Romania also diversify their energy sources, he added. A number of European countries share the United States concerns about the impact of Nord Stream 2 on European energy security and the potential for Russian aggression, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Chris Robinson said. Allseas deep-sea pipe-laying ship Solitaire lays pipes for Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 13, 2019. (Stine Jacobsen/Reuters) Nord Stream 2 suspended construction in December 2019 after Swiss-Dutch company Allseas, which specializes in subsea construction, pulled out following sanctions imposed by the United States on the project. Two Russian-owned pipe-laying vessels may finish the remaining 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the project. Gazprom is financing half of the project worth about 9.5 billion euros ($10.5 billion). Other partners in Nord Stream 2 are Austrias OMV, the German firms Uniper and Wintershall, Anglo-Dutch energy major Royal Dutch Shell Plc, and Frances Engie. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the sanctions on the two pipelines equates to political pressure, TASS news agency reported. Russia has also said its considering retaliatory measures. The German government has said it regrets the threat of sanctions and considers them interference in the countrys domestic affairs. However, Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear last week that Germany isnt considering retaliation against the sanctions. With the Turk Stream pipeline consisting of two 578-mile (930-kilometer) long lines, Russian gas passes through the Black Sea to Turkey. The sanctions warning applies only to the second Turk Stream line delivering gas to Southern and Southeastern Europe. The first line of Turk Stream, which is designed exclusively to supply Turkeys domestic natural gas market, isnt subject to sanctions, according to the updated public guidance. A ship works offshore in the Baltic Sea on the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 from Russia to Germany on Nov. 11, 2018. (Bernd Wuestneck/dpa via AP) US Lawmakers Aim to Expand Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Last month, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a bipartisan sanctions bill for entities involved in Nord Stream 2. The measures, which will only become law after being approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, would expand existing sanctions to include penalties on parties providing underwriting services, insurance or reinsurance, and pipe-laying activities. We must now continue that effort and ensure that Russia does not surreptitiously extend its malign influence throughout Europe, Shaheen said in a statement. Nord Stream 2 threatens Ukraine, Europes energy independence, and gives Russia an opening to exploit our allies. There is bipartisan and bicameral consensus that Russias Nord Stream 2 pipeline poses a critical threat to Americas national security and must not be completed, Cruz said in the statement. He added that as Putin continues to try to circumvent the sanctions already in place, the legislation will clarify that those involved in any way with installing pipeline for the project will face crippling and immediate American sanctions. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. An emerging hydrogel material with the capacity to degrade and spontaneously reform in the gastrointestinal tract could help researchers develop more effective methods for oral drug delivery. The majority of drugs and nutrients are absorbed into the body in the intestines, but to get there, they have to traverse the stomacha very acidic, harsh environment that can interfere with the active molecules in pharmaceuticals, says Kelly Schultz, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in Lehigh Universitys P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Schultz and fourth-year chemical engineering PhD student Nan Wu are studying covalent adaptable hydrogels (CAHs), which are being designed to release molecules as they lose polymer in the stomach but then re-gel on their own, which protects the molecules and allows them to stay active for targeted delivery in the intestines. The teams microrheology research is featured in an article and inside cover illustration in the current issue of Soft Matter. To characterize the material and provide insight into its pharmaceutical potential, Wu has repurposed a microfluidic device originally developed in Schultzs lab for research into fabric and home care products to create a GI tract-on-a-chip. The experimental setup allows her to exchange the fluid environment around the gel to mimic the pH environment of all the organs in the GI tract, simulating how the material would react over time if ingested. Using microrheology, Wu collects microscopy data and measures how much particles within the gel wiggle, with some experiments taking hours and others spanning days, depending on the digestive organ she is replicating. Wu tracks the particles using an algorithm that yields scientifically meaningful information on the properties of the material, which was originally developed by University of Colorado at Boulder professor Kristi S. Anseth. CAHs exhibit unusual spontaneous re-gelation that is really surprising, Schultz says. Typically, gels wont degrade and then reform without any added stimuli as these do. Weve demonstrated viability of CAHs as means of oral drug and nutrient delivery, and now were starting to work on molecular release studies and adding in other components to make the experiments more complex. Wu has been investigating these materials over the course of her entire PhD studies, says Schultz. Shes doing amazing work and is committed to understanding every aspect of the research. Schultzs research lab focuses on the characterization of colloidal and polymeric gel scaffolds and the development of new techniques to characterize these complex systems, which play important roles in fields such as health care and consumer products. What we do in biomaterials is somewhat unique: There's a lot of work on the cross-linking chemistry and actually developing these materials, and there's a lot of animal research that implants and tests them, but there's not that much work in the middle. A great deal of mystery lies between designing a material and understanding whats going on when it's working. We're trying to find new ways that we can replicate whats going on inside of an animal or a person and collect important measurements to connect the dots and inform further studies. Research supported in part by National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number R15GM119065. Content is solely responsibility of authors and does not necessarily represent official views of NIH. About Kelly M. Schultz Kelly M. Schultz is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University. She earned her BS in chemical engineering from Northeastern University (2006) and PhD in chemical engineering with Professor Eric Furst from the University of Delaware (2011) as a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow. While at Delaware, she was invited to speak in the American Chemical Society Excellence in Graduate Polymers Research Symposium and was selected as the Fraser and Shirley Russell Teaching Fellow. Following her PhD, she was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral research associate at the University of Colorado at Boulder working in the laboratory of Professor Kristi Anseth. As a postdoc, she was invited to participate in the Distinguished Young Scholars Summer Seminar Series at the University of Washington. She joined Lehigh as an assistant professor in 2013 and was a P.C. Rossin Assistant Professor from 2016 to 2018. Schultz was named one of TA Instruments Distinguished Young Rheologists in 2014 and was recognized by the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program in 2018. She received Lehighs Libsch Early Career Research Award in 2019 and the Excellence in Research Scholarship & Leadership Award from the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2020. Schultz and her research group study emerging hydrogel materials developed for biological applications, such as wound healing and tissue regeneration. Related Links: ### Cozy Bear, one of the same Russian Advanced Persistent Threat groups involved in the 2015 hack of the Democratic National Committee, has been targeting COVID-19 vaccine development in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, according to a joint advisory released by all three countries. The advisory, endorsed by the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the group is using a mix of spearphishing and recently published public exploits to gain initial access to organizations involved in developing or researching vaccines for the coronavirus before deploying custom malware known as WellMess and WellMail to download and exfiltrate targeted data. The document includes Indicators of Compromise for both pieces of malware. APT29 is likely to continue to target organisations involved in COVID-19 vaccine research and development, as they seek to answer additional intelligence questions relating to the pandemic, the document states. The Russian group has been using recently published exploits for a number of technologies, including VPNs made by Pulse Secure, Fortinet and Palo Alto, Zimbra email collaboration tools and Citrix Application Delivery Control and Gateway products. Both NSA and CISA have released warnings in the last two months about the potential exploitation of numerous vulnerabilities in commercial VPN software, particularly as many countries have sent their employees to work from home during the pandemic. In a statement sent to FCW after publication, Fortinet spokesperson Tiffany Curci said the company could not confirm that the described vulnerabilities were used by APT 29, but it has been strongly urging users to patch since last year. "In May 2019 Fortinet issued a [Product Security Incident Response Team] advisory regarding an SSL vulnerability that was resolved, and also communicated directly with customers and via a corporate blog post strongly recommending an upgrade," Curci said. "While we cannot confirm that the attack vectors for this group took place via this vulnerability, we are reaching out to customers and strongly urging them to implement the upgrade and mitigations." Governments and security researchers have been sounding the alarm for months that vaccine organizations are being targeted by hackers, but much of that discussion has been focused on another rival power, China. The Chinese government has reportedly sponsored attacks against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), hospitals, research laboratories, health care providers, and pharmaceutical companies with the goal of stealing COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research, wrote Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in a May 13 letter to President Donald Trump. By targeting hospitals and health care providers, these state-sponsored hackers put the lives of Americans who are seeking care at risk. The widespread targeting of companies and public health organizations over the past six months has caused the NSA to prioritize protecting vaccine research and push more signals intelligence to American medical organizations. "It wasn't [more than] a few days into March where phone calls were coming in to NSA asking us for our insights and our support to that community, and so we have doubled down and really accelerated and intensified efforts to reach out," Deputy Director George Barnes said in May. In a July 16 speech in Grand Rapids, Mich., Attorney General Bill Barr said "PRC-linked hackers have targeted American universities and firms in a bid to steal IP related to coronavirus treatments and vaccines, sometimes disrupting the work of our researchers." Leaders in Beijing, he said, are "desperate for a public relations coup, and may hope that it will be able to claim credit for any medical breakthroughs." However, others have also criticized the desire by some countries to keep such research secret, saying it amounts to hoarding during a deadly pandemic. Some groups have banded together to promote an open-source approach that would share such research among different countries in the hope of speeding up vaccine development. The ultimate goal for some of these attacks are not always clear, though most believe it illustrates how desperate many countries are to gather intelligence from rivals on a potential vaccine to a pandemic that has caused intense disruption to global economic and social activities. Vaccine development typically takes years, but the Trump administration has attempted to dramatically cut down on that timeline through Operation Warp Speed, an initiative designed to develop 300 million doses of a workable vaccine by January 2021. Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health announced it had established a network of clinical trials to test a variety of vaccines and antibodies related to the virus. If successful, such research would be invaluable to other countries that are racing to develop their own response, and most expects believe there will be substantial delays and rationing of any vaccine once it is developed. COVID-19 is an existential threat to every government in the world, so its no surprise that cyber espionage capabilities are being used to gather intelligence on a cure, said John Hultquist, Senior Director of Analysis at FireEyes Mandiant Threat Intelligence in a statement. The organizations developing vaccines and treatments for the virus are being heavily targeted by Russian, Iranian, and Chinese actors seeking a leg up on their own research. Weve also seen significant COVID-related targeting of governments that began as early as January. This article was updated with comments from Fortinet. Research England has awarded two grants, totalling 1.5 million, to support two programmes working to dramatically increase the economic value and social impacts derived from university research, both internationally and in the UK. The funds will be administered by the University of Cambridge. The grants, from the Research England Development (RED) Fund, support two programmes: TenU and a new Policy Evidence Unit for University Commercialisation and Innovation (UCI). A leading practitioner group, TenU will share expertise and experience to develop, improve, and disseminate best practice in research commercialisation. UCI will undertake research to create the evidence base for informing research commercialisation policy for government and universities. The two groups will work closely in areas of mutual interest. TenU brings together the heads of the world's leading technology transfer offices (TTOs) at ten top universities--Cambridge (UK), Columbia (USA), Edinburgh (UK), Imperial College London (UK), Leuven (Belgium), Manchester (UK), MIT (USA), Stanford (USA), Oxford (UK), and University College London (UK)--to share and develop improved approaches to commercialising university research for societal and economic benefit. Research from these universities has led to many world changing innovations, such as rapid whole genome sequencing (Cambridge), the page rank algorithm technology that became the basis for Google (Stanford), the world's first artificial vaccine against viral hepatitis B (Edinburgh), fibre optics (Imperial), one of the most widely used medications for HIV treatment (Leuven), and programmed T cell therapies (University College London). As the world works to rebuild its economies in the wake of COVID-19, university TTOs will play a critical role in turning early-stage, research-based innovations into new products and services across many different sectors. In the UK, the Industrial Strategy has identified universities as key drivers of innovation. In the US similar policy is embodied in the Return on Investment (ROI) Initiative, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US Department of Commerce. The second grant will provide 1.2 million to the University of Cambridge to establish a Policy Evidence Unit for University Commercialisation and Innovation (UCI). The new unit will help to drive a step change in universities' contributions to delivering increased R&D and innovation in the UK through these uncertain and turbulent times. UCI will be developed in partnership with the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (CSTI) and the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). It will create much needed capacity in the UK to support the needs of UK government departments, funding agencies, and universities for better data, evidence, and expert insights, to develop more effective approaches for university commercialisation and innovation. The needs for better evidence are growing as we move from the immediate Covid-19 pandemic crisis into the longer term economic recovery period, and as the government looks to maximise the value realised from its increasing investments in the research base. Universities need to find new ways of working with businesses, investors and others to open up opportunities for wealth creation, address emerging innovation challenges, and improve productivity. To unlock this potential, governments will have to adapt policies and funding programmes to become key enabling partners in this process. Working closely with key stakeholders, UCI will be initially focusing on three areas: * First, developing an evidence base on how the Covid-19 induced economic crisis is affecting universities' abilities to contribute to innovation, and identify possible actions to ensure they are able to play a strategic and active role in the national economic recovery. * Second, improving our understanding of the research-to-innovation commercialisation journeys and examine how policies and university practices could be strengthened to deliver increased value to the UK. * Third, advancing the data and metrics available to better capture the performance of universities in delivering economic and social impacts through their commercialisation activities to facilitate more effective benchmarking and evaluation of performance. UCI will be hosted by CSTI in the University of Cambridge's Department of Engineering. David Sweeney, Executive Chair, Research England, said: "In line with the UK Government's R&D Roadmap, Research England as part of UK Research and Innovation needs to demonstrate we are world class at securing economic and social benefits from research. University technology transfer is at the heart of that. Research England funding for TenU will help showcase best practice at the global cutting edge, with the new UCI policy unit providing critical evidence and metrics. We look forward to deepening these international links". Tony Raven, CEO of Cambridge Enterprise, said: "We welcome this vital support from Research England, which enables us to continue to share, compare, and advance international best practice in university research commercialisation for the benefit of our economies and societies locally, nationally, and globally". Tomas Ulrichsen, Director of the new Policy Evidence Unit for University Commercialisation and Innovation, said: "I am delighted to bring expertise from CSTI, the University of Cambridge, and NCUB together to establish this important new policy evidence unit. The grant from the Research England Development Fund will enable us to support policymakers, funders, and universities with better and more targeted evidence and expert insight, to consider how to build on and adapt their approaches to university-driven commercialisation and innovation. This will help economies across the UK recover, reconfigure, and thrive through the economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic". ### The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and the Congress have taken a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after the collapse of the Sattarghat bridge also called Ramjanki path on Gandak River in Gopalganj district. The bridge was inaugurated by Chief Minister Kumar on June 16. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and Bihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha attacked the Chief Minister on the issue. Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, taunted Kumar saying, beware, if someone called it corruption of Nitish Kumar. He said that Kumar would not utter a word in this matter. Tejashwi posted a picture and video of the culvert and road on his official Twitter handle, saying, "The bridge was built in 8 years at a cost of Rs 263 crore but it collapsed in just 29 days. Bhishma Pitamah of organized corruption Nitish ji will neither speak a word, nor will he sack the corrupt Minister who claims to give Range Rover experiance through a bicycle ride. There is loot in Bihar everywhere." In another tweet, he wrote in sarcasm, "Nitish ji inaugurated the Sattar Ghat bridge of Gopalganj constructed at a cost of Rs 263.47 crore in 8 years, on June 16. Just 29 days later this bridge has collapsed. Beware! If someone calls it corruption of Nitish ji? Rs 263 crore is just a gift. His rats drink liquor worth this amount." A minister in 2017 had blamed rats for making holes in the embankments which led to the collapse of the structure. The Congress also targeted the Nitish government. Senior Congress leader and former state president of Youth Congress Lallan Kumar said this is the result of corruption of the BJP-JDU government. The investigation of the one scam has not even been completed yet and now this. Such a big scam has surfaced on the Ramjanaki path. He said now ministers and officials will share the spoils of the loot. He said that crores of rupees are spent every year in the name of repair of roads during floods, which is like a celebrations for leaders and officials of the ruling party. The Ramjanaki path which was inaugurated just a month ago could not withstand the pressure of Gandak river in Gopalganj district of Bihar and collapsed, creating hindrance to the traffic on this route. With this, the contact with several districts of North Bihar was lost due to road link snap in Khomhaipur in Baikunthpur block of Gopalganj district. This road mainly connects Kesariya and Baikunthpur in East Champaran. An amount of about Rs 263 crore was spent in the construction of the bridge, culvert and approach road. Tink, a Stockholm, Sweden-based open banking platform, Instantor, a Stockholm, Sweden-based provider of credit decision solutions based on open banking technology. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The deal will enable Tink to continue its expansion across Europe and strengthen its product offering. Following the acquisition, Instantors products and services that are used by more than 150 live customers, including banks and fintechs across 13 European markets become part of Tink. Founded in 2010 and led by Simon Edstrom, CEO, Instantor provides banks and fintechs with products to enhance credit decisions by extracting insights from consumer bank transactions to verify income and identify risk behaviours to allow for improved assessments of credit risk. Headquartered in Stockholm, the company supports more than 5 million credit decisions annually and had an annual revenue of 4M in 2019. Led by Daniel Kjellen, CEO, Tink is an open banking platform that enables banks, fintechs and startups to develop data-driven financial services. Through one API, the company allows customers to access aggregated financial data, initiate payments, enrich transactions and build personal finance management tools. Tink connects to more than 2,500 banks that reach over 250 million bank customers across Europe. Founded in 2012, the company has 270 employees serving 14 European markets out of 13 offices. FinSMEs 16/07/2020 Mark Sutherland, an ecologist with Safe Skies Maryland, described Howard County as a pioneer with its solution to reducing the number of bird deaths annually. Sutherland, who testified at a public hearing and urged the County Council to vote in favor of the legislation, said more than 1 billion birds die every year in the United States and there are 29 percent fewer birds in the United States and Canada than there were 50 years ago. T he police watchdog has launched an investigation after officers accused a black woman of "jumping on the bandwagon" when they stopped her and her husband. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the incident involving Ingrid Antoine-Onikoyi, her husband, Falil, and two officers from the Suffolk Police force. Suffolk Police told the Evening Standard that the matter had been "voluntarily referred" to the IOPC. "The IOPC have decided they will conduct an independent investigation into the complaint and therefore it would not be appropriate for the force to comment further at this time," a Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said. A complaint was made after two officers were filmed asking Ms Antoine-Onikoyi, 47, and Falil, 50, for their details after the couple had parked their cars near a relative's home in Ipswich, saying they were making the request "because we can". In the video, a male officer accuses the couple of looking "suspicious". He says: "At the end of the day, whether it looks funny or not, you were driving a motor vehicle on a road, so therefore I am requiring you to provide proof of drivers (licence)." Footage of the incident was circulated widely on Twitter (Maja Antoine) / Maja Antoine Ms Antoine-Oniyoke replies to him: You are kidding us right now. You can see why people get upset. The female officer later says: You have turned something irate that shouldnt be. You are just jumping on the bandwagon - thats not okay. She appeared to be referring to anti-racism demonstrations sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the United States. Ms Antoine-Onikoyi told the officers at the time their behaviour was "disgusting, while her husband accuses them of profiling the pair. Footage of the exchange was subsequently shared on Twitter by the couple's daughter, Maja Antoine, and has since been viewed more than two million times on the platform. She said in her tweet: "It's suspicious to walk from your car to your house, while black. The UK is not innocent." Commenting on the incident, IOPC regional director Sarah Green said it had "raised concerns about public confidence in policing and not least from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities". "To ensure the police are accountable for their actions it is important we establish all of the circumstances surrounding this incident," she said. We will be examining the stop, whether the actions of the officers were appropriate and proportionate, followed approved police policies and whether the officers treated the man and his partner differently because of their race. Speaking to the BBC after receiving news of the IOPC investigation, Ms Antoine said she was "pleased" but pressed for a "proper" probe into the incident. "What we need is a proper apology," she added. Suffolk Police issued a public apology over last month's incident shortly after it took place. The force said in a statement at the time: "Suffolk Constabulary is aware of the video circulating on social media involving two of our officers. Having looked at the issues raised by a large number of people, particularly regarding certain comments which were made on the video, we would like to apologise for the offence these have caused. It continued: "The constabulary is very aware of the depth of feeling surrounding the events of the last few weeks and the issue of racism in our society. We always try to ensure we police all our communities with dignity, respect and fairness. Where those values are not met we will do everything we can to learn from that. The Standard has contacted the IOPC for comment. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) New York Vietnamese and US firms sought ways to overcome economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during an online trade exchange event on July 15. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnam Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said the two countries will surely offer the best conditions for their firms to develop, thus helping to lift bilateral ties to a new height. Sharing the same view, Minister Counsellor Bui Huy Son, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US, said the event will enable US enterprises to learn about the promising Vietnamese market and make it easier for Vietnamese firms to approach the huge US market. Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) Vu Ba Phu said since the COVID-19 outbreak, the agency has held a number of online trade promotion events, especially in Vietnams traditional and potential markets such as the US, India, Russia and Singapore, drawing hundreds of enterprises. An The Dung, Director of the Vietrade Office in New York, said achievements in the fight against COVID-19 has made Vietnam a safe destination for investors at the crisis time. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade showed that Vietnam still receives hundreds of transaction letters each day and thousands of enterprises accessed the Vietrade portal to seek opportunities. Two-way trade grew by over 4 percent in the first five months of this year, with US exports to Vietnam up 3 percent. Lauren Merkel from the Empire State Development, for her part, affirmed that New York authorities, especially Governor Andrew Cuomo, always stay ready to offer all possible support to Vietnamese businesses interested in doing business with New York partners, and vice versa. Daniel Pint from the US Department of Commerce introduced US firms to participants, as well as their requirements for exports-imports. He added that businesses opportunities with the US are abundant and the US is ready to offer opportunities to qualified and capable partners. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, two-way trade between Vietnam and the US has grown by 20 percent on average each year, from 41.28 billion USD in 2015 to 75.72 billion USD in 2019. Vietnam is now the 16th largest trade partner of the US in the world, while the US is the third biggest trade partner of the Southeast Asian nation. With a gross domestic product (GDP) average growth rate of nearly 7 percent each year and a 100-million population, Vietnam is expected to become a promising market for US companies in the fields of agriculture, renewable energy, telecommunications, aviation or finance-banking. President Donald Trump addresses reporters in the Oval Office of the White House after receiving a briefing from law enforcement on "Keeping American Communities Safe: The Takedown of Key MS-13 Criminal Leaders" on July 15, 2020 in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images) Trump Intends to Challenge Subpoena for Financial Records, Lawyers Say President Donald Trump intends to challenge a subpoena for his tax records by criminal prosecutors despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the pursuit, his lawyers told a judge on July 15. The presidents lawyers outlined the plans in a letter to a Manhattan federal judge overseeing the dispute over a subpoena issued to Mazars USA, Trumps accounting firm, by District Attorney of New York County Cyrus Vance for tax records relating to Trump and his businesses in connection to a grand jury investigation. Vance is investigating settlement money allegedly paid to two women during the 2016 presidential campaign: adult film performer Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the two women. Trump has been fighting Vances subpoena since September 2019, arguing that he enjoys absolute immunity from state-level criminal process under the Constitution. The district court denied Trumps application for an injunction over the subpoena and dismissed the case in October. The 2nd Circuit also denied the presidents request for relief. The president may raise further arguments as appropriate including whether the subpoena is too broad or whether it would impede his constitutional duties, Trumps lawyers wrote in a joint filing made with the lower court judge on Wednesday, noting that Trump plans to file a complaint by July 27. The President intends to raise some or all of these arguments in his forthcoming Second Amended Complaint, they wrote. Lawyers for Trump argued that the case requires a more thorough factual record be developed by the two parties. The President should not be required, for example, to litigate the subpoenas breadth or whether it was issued in bad faith without understanding the nature and scope of the investigation and why the District Attorney needs all of the documents he has demanded, they wrote. Trumps lawyers may also argue that Vance, a Democrat, pursued the subpoena to harass the president or retaliate against his policies. Vance has denied acting in bad faith and said the motives for a subpoena are not something courts should normally examine. The federal government, which was also involved in the case, argued that a state grand jury subpoena for personal records of a sitting president should meet a higher standard of need. But the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 (pdf) on July 9 that Trump does not have broad immunity from criminal probes while in the White House. President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Chief Justice John Roberts (R) in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 28, 2017. (Jim Lo Scalzo Pool/Getty Images) No citizen, not even the President, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote on July 9. In our judicial system, the public has a right to every mans evidence, he wrote. Since the earliest days of the Republic, every man has included the President of the United States. Roberts noted that the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decision only focused on the absolute immunity and heightened need arguments, and thus sent the case back to the lower courts so that the president may raise further arguments as appropriate. U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero scheduled a hearing on the matter for July 16 for the parties to provide him with potential areas for further argument (pdf) in light of the Supreme Court ruling. Janita Kan and Reuters contributed to this report. The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has replied it cannot half its channels of broadcasting from six to three on the National Digital Terrestrial Television platform as directed by the Communications Minister, Hon Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. In a letter to the National Media Commission (NMC), Director-General of the state broadcaster Prof. Amin Alhassan said all six channels serve specific purposes, therefore, none can be taken off. Giving a breakdown of their uses, Prof Alhassan said all six channels are dedicated 24-hours channels with specified focus reflecting the mandate of GBC as a State Broadcaster, a Public Service Broadcaster and a Commercial Broadcaster. He added that in view of this, GBC is unable to respond to the request of the Hon. Minister of Communication, the letter indicated. The directive from the Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful indicated that the intention to reduce the number of channels GBC currently operates is to ensure there is enough redundancy on the national Digital Terrestrial Television platform which is currently at full capacity. The letter added that you will, therefore, be required to consolidate your programming in line with this directive, adding please take steps to implement this directive within 60 days of receipt of this letter. It further stated that after the planned future expansion of capacity on the network, which has been delayed by the pandemic and the uncertainties generated in global supply chains, the GBC will be allocated additional channels. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/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. 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Community libraries, which can offer welcome respite from the heat, are closed on the weekends and in the evenings. Some outdoor pools, thankfully, are in operation, but they are becoming too expensive to operate and are being phased out in favour of spray pads and wading pools, which have age restrictions and limited hours. Simply put, when there are long periods of heat, the city makes no effort to provide cooling stations for those who are homeless or living in the many homes, apartment buildings or housing complexes that do not have air conditioning. Instead, this city turns its back on those who suffer in the heat without ventilation or air conditioning, leaving it up to organizations such as Main Street Project and Siloam Mission to pick up the slack. Heat waves defined as higher-than-average temperatures for extended periods of time can be dangerous, particularly for the elderly and marginalized people, who may not be able to get relief from oppressively hot temperatures. An increase in prolonged high temperatures will have greater impact on peoples health. At best, they cause a lack of sleep and irritability; at worst they can result in heat stroke and death. And now, with suggestions that Winnipeg summers are becoming increasingly hotter as a result of global warming, one would hope the city would start to take some lessons from cities like Toronto in understanding that long, uninterrupted hot spells, particularly with high humidity, are just as dangerous as cold spells. The City of Toronto in 2017 outlined its initiative to provide cooling centres following a board of health decision to reduce vulnerability to extreme heat in the community and in homes. This was in response to the federal governments discussions on a national housing strategy. Torontos board of health determined that extreme heat is associated with a range of illnesses, including heat stroke and death: "Those most vulnerable to heat include isolated seniors, people with chronic and pre-existing illnesses, children, and people who are marginally housed or homeless. In Toronto people who live in older apartment buildings may be at particular risk from heat." The board determined that many of these buildings are not air conditioned and are home to low-income families and newcomers. The beginning of July ushered in a heat wave for southern Ontario, with Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area seeing temperatures in the high 30s, with humidity pushing the heat index into the 40s. Meteorologists are predicting the GTAs hot sticky weather will stick around for July and August. In response, the city has opened emergency cooling centres and extended the opening times for swimming pools so people can find an escape. How does the City of Winnipeg respond when were in for a long stretch of hot, humid weather? Well, it doesnt really do anything. Libraries remain shuttered on the weekends. Pool hours stay the same. Instead, the embattled organizations that work with the homeless put out the urgent cry for bottled water, and Winnipeggers once again rise to the challenge. Main Street Projects Cindy Titus said earlier this month that when the last heat wave was at its peak, the organizations new, expanded shelter facility at 190 Disraeli Freeway was allowing people the opportunity to have access to showers and water, which is positive. And in the past, both Siloam Mission and Main Street Project have seen fit to expand their facilities hours of operation to ensure they are open to offer someplace to rest for those who are marginalized. But the health and well-being of Winnipegs poorly housed and homeless should not be left up to non-profits. Last week, it was revealed that Manitobas public-health officials have not been tracking the statistics on heat-related deaths. Manitobas chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said there is no requirement to report these to health authorities. In this province, where summers are hot and winters are long and cold, deaths as a result of the environment should be tracked. 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. Further, the city should be responsible for providing adequate protection in either case, with the use of warming and cooling shelters. Talk about a clear division between rich and poor: suffering, perhaps even dying, because you cant afford to stay cool or warm in a city that could easily provide access to both kinds of relief. Shannon Sampert is a retired political scientist who works as a media consultant. www.mediadiva.ca. shannon@mediadiva.ca Twitter: @CdnMediadiva Kenyas Afro-pop songbird Nadia Mukami on Wednesday premiered her highly-anticipated music video dubbed Tesa featuring Khaligraph Jones and Fena Gitu. Tesa is Nadia Mukamis 11th studio single and her second track off her upcoming EP, African Popstar the EP. Produced by Vicky Pon Dis, this feel-good track party anthem sees the highflying trio combine effortlessly to get the groove the on. Tesa visuals, directed by Deska Torres of Platinum Pictures, are shot in a club setting showing Nadia and her crew having a good time. The video is evidently doing well with over 73K views in just eight hours after its premiere on YouTube. It has also been receiving rave reviews, with some Kenyans calling on President Uhuru Kenyatta to reopen clubs so that they can Tesa. Singer Muthoni Drummer Queen was among the first to commend the trio for a job well done, saying: Holy shit!! This is super super super dope!! Nadia hii wimbo Ina Tesa! As always Fena be the MVP of Kenyan music. Asanteni wadau. Imeweza mbaya!! ?? Check it out below. Rating 9/10. By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - The National Defense Authorization Act, which sets policy for the U.S. Defense Department, is one of the only major bills to reliably pass Congress and be signed into law every year. As lawmakers consider the $740 billion NDAA proposal for 2021, they are bracing for the possibility that President Donald Trump will veto what is usually viewed as a "must-pass" measure, over objections to renaming U.S. military facilities named after Confederate generals. Here are a few things to watch for when debate begins next week: SWAN SONG FOR SPENDING? This year's NDAA could be the swan song for the constant expansion of the military budget, which has soared since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, except when reined in by mandatory spending caps. Trump, with the help of the Republican-controlled Senate, has made boosting defense spending a top priority, using it to advance projects politically important to the president, including building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying a new type of smaller nuclear bomb and creating a new branch of the military called the Space Force. If Trump loses to former Vice President Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election, or if Republicans lose control of the Senate, that could signal reduced spending in the coming years as Democrats look to boost funding for education, healthcare and other programs. Regardless of the outcome of the Nov. 3 elections, the defense industry, companies including Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Technologies Corp, are expecting lower or flat defense spending in the coming years after a run up in recent years. HOW WILL THE U.S. CULTURE WARS INFLUENCE THE PROCESS? The proposed House and Senate defense bills both include language that would rename U.S. military bases named after former leaders of the pro-slavery Confederacy. The proposals have the support of Democrats and many Republicans, as well as leaders of the military, one of the most racially diverse organizations in the United States. Story continues Trump has vowed to veto any bill that includes such language. As he campaigns ahead of elections on Nov. 3, Trump has backed the continued display of Confederate symbols and criticized protesters, even downplaying police violence against Black people. Some Democrats also want the 2021 NDAA to end a program that gives military equipment to police forces and to bar the deployment of troops against civilian protesters. WHAT ABOUT U.S. TROOPS IN GERMANY? A rare point of contention arose between Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress last month when he announced plans to withdraw some 10,000 of the 34,500 U.S. troops in Germany, a major center for American forces since World War Two. Trump has accused Germany of not pulling its weight as part of the NATO alliance. Some Republicans and Democrats criticized the plan, saying that the U.S.-German alliance helps to counter the global international influence of Russia and China. Groups of lawmakers from both the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate want to include in the NDAA a measure that would bar Trump from lowering troop levels until 180 days after Pentagon leaders certify to Congress that doing so would not harm the interests of the United States or its allies. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Mike Stone; editing by Scott Malone and Lisa Shumaker) A manhunt is under way to find a Sydney man wanted on serious drug charges who failed to appear in a Melbourne court on Wednesday. Jim Soukoulis, 55, was extradited to Victoria in mid-2017 when he was charged over an alleged plan to import more than 250kg of methamphetamine from California to Australia via light aircraft. Sydney man Jim Soukoulis. Credit:Australian Federal Police He was bailed once he arrived in Melbourne and lived in the suburb of South Melbourne. He fled to an unknown location while on bail in November 2019. On Wednesday, Mr Soukoulis was required to face the Melbourne County Court but did not appear. As well as the alleged plot to import drugs, he is charged with allegedly dealing with more than $1,000,000 that police believe was an instrument of crime. U.S. Threatens To Expand Sanctions On Nord Stream 2 As Russia Moves To Complete Pipeline By RFE/RL July 15, 2020 WASHINGTON -- The United States has threatened to sanction any individual or company helping Russia build a controversial natural gas pipeline to Germany as the Kremlin moves to complete the last kilometers of the nearly $11 billion project. "Get out now -- or risk the consequences," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said July 15 during a press conference in Washington announcing the new sanction guidelines for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The State Department essentially removed language that excluded the pipeline from the powerful Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was passed in 2017. Unable to use CAATSA, the United States in December passed legislation to sanction any vessel laying underwater pipes for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, forcing Swiss-based Allseas to quit the project with just about 160 kilometers remaining. The pipeline, which consists of two parallel lines running under the Baltic Sea, is a combined 1,230 kilometers in length. Russia is now trying to use its own vessels to finish Nord Stream 2 after receiving permission from Denmark earlier this month. The unfinished portion of the pipeline lies in Denmark's economic waters. However, the Russian ship would still need to use the services of Western companies, such as port facilities and insurance, giving the United States the potential to hamper their efforts. CAATSA allowed Congress to sanction Russian energy export pipelines but contained guidance put in by Pompeo's predecessor, Rex Tillerson, that grandfathered in Nord Stream 2 and the second leg of TurkStream, which runs under the Black Sea to Turkey. Pompeo said the State Department is updating the public guidance for CAATSA authorities to include the two Russian-led projects, which he described as "Kremlin tools" to expand European dependence on Russian energy supplies and undermine Ukraine. Pompeo is set to visit Denmark on July 22 to discuss the pipeline, among other issues. Nord Stream 2 would pump up to 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Germany annually upon its completion, doubling the European nation's import of Russian gas. The project enables Moscow to significantly reduce natural gas shipments through Ukraine, which currently earns billions of dollars annually in transit fees. "They are winding up and laying the ground for the imposition of additional sanctions if Russia attempts to deploy its pipe-laying vessels," said Dan Vajdic, an adviser to Ukraine's state-owned energy firm Naftogaz, which lobbied Washington to impose more sanctions. The United States is seeking to export more natural gas to Europe while helping Eastern and Central Europe develop the necessary infrastructure to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas. Congress last year approved up to $1 billion in financing for energy infrastructure projects in the region. James Carafano, a national security and foreign policy fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told a congressional hearing on July 14 that the completion of Nord Stream 2 would destroy the economic rationale for such U.S.-backed projects. The State Department denied that the threat of new sanctions against Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream are designed to help U.S. exporters of natural gas. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-threatens-to-expand- sanctions-on-nord-stream-2-as-russia-moves -to-complete-pipeline/30728812.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sultan Anshori (Reuters) Badung, Indonesia Thu, July 16, 2020 14:21 552 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666ccf4d 2 National Australian,murder,murder-case,early-release,#Bali Free An Australian woman sentenced to four years imprisonment over the death of a policeman on the Indonesian island of Bali was given early release on Thursday, and was keen to be reunited with family, her lawyer said. Sara Connor, 49, was jailed in March 2017 together with British man David Taylor for their roles in the death of a traffic policeman, whose body was found on the popular Kuta beach with neck and head wounds. Connor was freed 13 months short of her full term due to her good behavior. The two, who were a couple, were tried separately and Taylor, who is in his mid 30s, received a six-year term. Wearing a headscarf, Connor did not comment as she left the prison surrounded by guards, who helped her through a scrum of photographers and into a vehicle that took her to an immigration facility. "I think everybody who will be released will be very happy, especially when she wants to meet the family, but I don't know about the next plan," said Sienny Karmana, Connor's lawyer. Karmana added that Connor would return to Australia on Friday. During a trial that attracted significant attention in Indonesia and Australia, the defendants both denied murder and said a fight broke out over Connor's missing purse. Connor had testified that she saw Taylor beating policeman Wayan Sudarsa, but the judge ruled that she had held the victim down while he was being struck. James Brooks still remembers the January day that he boarded a plane from Florida to Alaska to take a job as a copyeditor at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. It was 60 degrees and sunny when he left Florida that day. When he arrived in Fairbanks at midnight, it was a freezing 40 degrees below zero. I didnt know what to expect, said Brooks, a 2006 Virginia Tech graduate. But he didnt let the chilly weather stop him from soaking up all that Alaska would offer including winning a Pulitzer Prize 12 years later. Brooks was a member of a team of reporters and editors at the Anchorage Daily News that received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in May for a yearlong series called Lawless, a partnership with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism. The series featured an eye-opening investigation into the criminal justice systems failures in communities across Alaska. The work exposed extremely high rates of sexual assault and domestic violence and uncovered some rural communities with no local law enforcement. Other stories in the series revealed that some Alaska communities hired police officers who had been convicted of felonies, assault, and other criminal offenses. Additional reporting uncovered the failures of the states 40-year-old Village Public Safety Officer program. Kyle Hopkins was lead reporter for the series, and Brooks, who covers the state government from Juneau, Alaskas capital, contributed with the government angle. Brooks fielded questions to lawmakers and reported on state policing and public safety decisions. The entire newsroom at the Anchorage Daily News, which includes at least 40 journalists, was involved in the project in some way. As a result of the investigation, Alaska has allocated more money for rural policing. Also, last spring, U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared an emergency for public safety in Alaska and pledged $52 million to help law enforcement in the state by adding officers, new federal prosecutors, and expanding other services. Brooks said it has been a life highlight for him to have a supporting role in the Lawless team, which earned the newspapers third Pulitzer Prize. You always think of a Pulitzer Prize as being out of reach and out of touch, he said. This shows me that its not. If I can get involved with a project like this, then its within me to do it myself. New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (New KCC) has stopped supplying milk to retail chain Tuskys Supermarket over non-payment on deliveries running into millions of shillings. New KCC cited high debt on the account of the retailer for halting their supplies of all types of milk to Tuskys. Tuskys has seen some delays in payments to suppliers, attributing it to low business as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) to intervene. The milk firm stopped the supplies after the company exceeded its credit payment period of 60 days. New KCC managing director Nixon Sigey said they are in negotiations with the retailer in order to agree on the terms of resumptions in supplies. "We are at the moment in discussion with the firm to agree the way forward after we stopped supplies of milk to the retailer," said Mr Sigey. Mr Sigey did not disclose the amount of debt owed to New KCC, but said the milk processor has monthly business worth Sh80 million with the retailer. New KCC is one of the companies that suffered financial losses after Nakumatt went down with Sh18 billion that was owed to suppliers. Other suppliers who spoke to the Business Daily said they are cautiously supplying the retailer with their goods because of the delays in payment, which has hurt their financial flow. "We are still supplying to them (Tuskys) but we have cut down on quantities to avoid huge debts at the end of the day given their slow pace of payment," said a managing director of a flour company, who requested anonymity. Manufacturers have already requested the government to urgently intervene and oversee the payment of money owed to Tuskys supermarkets' suppliers to avoid a full-blown debt crisis. The competition watchdog on Monday ordered Tuskys to settle the Sh1.29 billion owed to suppliers by between July 1 and July 16. Tuskys becomes the first major retailer to face the scrutiny of CAK's Buyer Power Department that was created after Nakumatt Holdings collapsed with Sh30 billion owed to suppliers. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Largecap stocks which were in focus in 2019 saw profit booking at higher levels in 2020, while the smart money seems to be moving towards the unloved smallcap stocks. The broader market has been in a bear phase since 2018, but with recent price correction, money started moving towards this undervalued space. Note: The table is for reference and not buy or sell ideas On a YTD basis, the broader market performed relatively better with around 12 percent and 9 percent respective falls in the mid and small-cap indices in the last six months. Although, analysts advise caution in the small, mid, and penny stock space, at the same time if investors bet on the right stocks, the probability of it giving more than double-digit return also becomes higher. The problem in lesser researched companies is as much quality as it is corporate governance particularly in the mid and small-cap segments, Vikaas M Sachdeva, Chief Executive Officer, Emkay Investment Managers Limited told Moneycontrol. If the stock stands by the touchstone of quality, as mentioned above, and corporate governance, they will do well irrespective of market caps. I think there is a lot of money to be made in high quality small and midcaps and these are early days in terms of a rally, he said. There are as many as 78 stocks that have a market-cap of less than Rs 1,000 crore that have more than doubled investors' wealth in the last six months. Stocks that rose 100-1100 percent include names like Opto Circuits, Ruchi Infrastructure, Hathway Bhawani, JMT Auto, Ballarpur Industries, Educomp Solutions, Reliance Communications, and Inter Globe Finance etc. among others. Note: The table is for reference and not buy or sell ideas Judo uniforms are made all over the world, but just a handful of suppliers are designated by the sport's international federation. And of those, just one weaves its own materials. Founded over a century ago, Kusakura in the western Japanese city of Kashiwara, has stuck with the much more laborious and time-consuming process, handling not only weaving, but cutting and sewing. But its president Masahiko Miura says the additional work is worth it. "It's very hard to describe, it's not just about machines weaving, there is a soul in it," he told AFP. "We'll never let go of weaving so long as we make judogis." The judo uniform, or judogi, comprises a white jacket secured by an obi or belt and white trousers. At Kusakura, which began as a weaving and sewing company in 1918, the fabrics for the top-of-the-line judogis are woven by decades-old looms with yarn-carrying wooden shuttles that jet across vertical threads. The venerable machines are part of a long tradition for the firm, but keeping them running is also not easy because the models are no longer produced. That means Kusakura employees are always on the lookout for spare parts, often scrambling to snatch up pieces if they hear of a textile company closing down. Production chief Yoshifumi Hayakawa says the fabric woven by the vintage machines stands out, with customers often commenting on its delicate texture. "We want to keep producing our fabrics with this long tradition for the next 10, 20 or 100 years," he said. Once the fabric is woven from cotton, it is handchecked by employees looking for stains or other irregularities, then carefully cut and sewn, with adjustments made down to the order of a single millimetre. The firm, with its S logo signifying Japan's national tree sakura or cherry blossom, produces 150,000 judogi a year. But just 17,000 are made in Japan using fabric from vintage and modern looms. A tiny handful use fabric woven exclusively on the heritage machines. These high-end judogi called Dojin, or master, sell for 50,000 yen ($470) a set, while uniforms made in China by the firm range from 10,000 yen to 23,000 yen for more serious competition sets. The firm has about 30 percent of the judogi market in Japan and exports to around 20 countries, though the coronavirus pandemic has stalled shipments. At Kusakura's Tokyo showroom, dozens of judogis are hung for customers to try, with samples washed at least three times to show how the fabric will shrink. Many customers want a tighter fit, leaving opponents less material to grab onto, but the International Judo Federation has strict rules on length, width and other details, said Atsushi Ebisawa, who manages the showroom. Javier Pallejero, a 32-year-old Spaniard visiting the showroom said his 'sensei' or teacher wears the firm's judogi and he finds the uniform lighter than others. "I hope that during competition it will help me have this lightness and be able to quickly bring out techniques," he said. For some employees at Kusakura, judogi production and sales is more than just a job. Veteran salesman Kazunori Ohira, who has practiced judo since he was 10, still swaps his business suit for a judogi -- made by Kusakura of course -- to teach children judo after work. He also goes personally to follow up on the sale of judogi to a club at a local high school and watches the children when they participate in tournaments. "I've been in charge of children here for over 20 years," the 44-year-old told AFP. "You can't be sure until you see them in matches if you delivered the right size of judogi," he said. "It's always on my mind... It's my occupational hazard that I have to go and see the matches." Respect is a key plank of judo, and students are expected to show it for their uniforms, as well as the parents who paid for them, and opponents who help them grow stronger, Ohira explained. "It's considered ugly to just stride over judogi or an obi laid on the floor," he said. "In Japan, judo is still more like a 'martial art' than just a sport." Maharashtra HSC results 2020 announced, Maharashtra class 12 or HSC results have been announced by the Maharashtra board at their official website mahresults.nic.in. Know how to check and other details. Maharashtra HSC result 2020 has been released by the Maharashtra Board on their official website mahresults.nic.in. Students can now access their results on the website. The passing percentage recorded this year is 90.66 per cent. Maharashtra Education Minister, Varsha Gaikwad shared this information on July 15. This year more than 10 lakh students appeared for Maharashtra HSC exams. Apart from the official website mahresults.nic.in, the result will also be hosted by hscresult.mkcl.org and maharashtraeducation.com. Check Maharashtra HSC result online: 1. Visit the official website mahresult.nic.in 2. Click the link that reads Maharashtra HSC result 2020 3. Enter your login credentials. 4. Your scores will appear before you. 5. Print/download your result. The result will have the students name, total score, and subject-wise scores secured. The board has reportedly decided to send the results to students registered email addresses as well. Also, earlier there were reports that the board will release SSC (class 10) and HSC (class 12) results together on June 10 but the board marked those claims as false. Also read: HRD ministry issues guidelines for online classes, caps duration to limit screen time Also read: DU Final Year UG Exams to begin from August 10, DU informs High Court Maharashtra Board conducted HSC or class 12 exams between February and March. However, the results got delayed as the evaluation process could not be carried out within the due time as Covid-19 pandemic hit India. For the students who happen to scoreless in the HSC exams, the board will later release details about Class improvement scheme for the students. This year the board didnt hold any press conference due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Also read: Delhi University Admissions 2020: College cut-offs likely to be higher this year For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App One of Indias most impoverished states went into lockdown Thursday, but near-normal traffic on Patnas streets showed the difficulty of corralling over 125 million people. The lockdown in the northern state bordering Nepal started as India reported more than 600 deaths in the previous 24 hours, and the Red Cross warned the virus was spreading at an alarming rate across south Asia. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage With Indias caseload on course to hit one million on Friday or Saturday -- and fatalities approaching 25,000 -- authorities across the country are reimposing restrictions that have only recently been lifted. Bihar went into a 15-day lockdown at midnight, a day after IT hub Bangalore -- home to 13 million people -- shut down for a week. All schools, clubs, temples and non-essential businesses were ordered to close in Bihar, but construction and agricultural activity allowed to continue. And while public transport was shut down, private vehicles are still allowed to operate, and an AFP reporter in the state capital Patna said traffic appeared to be as busy as ever on Thursday morning. We have not faced such a situation in my life before, it is really a horrible experience, said Radhika Singh, a housewife in her late 40s as she jostled to buy rice and lentils Wednesday before the lockdown started. A lack of coronavirus discipline forced Goa to announced a three-day shutdown from Thursday evening and a night curfew until August 10. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said too many people were stepping out to meet people at parties and that there was a low level of awareness and sensitivity. We have more than 40,000 people fined for not wearing masks, plus there are many who are detained for flouting rules, but they continue to loiter, Sawant told local media. This only establishes that people only understand the language of the law. Only God can save us Bangalore appeared to be coping far better. Many firms that handle the back-office operations of global corporations were little affected by the re-imposed restrictions having already working from home. Still, the health minister of Karnataka said Wednesday that only God can save us as the number of cases in the state approached 50,000. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that the entire region is fast becoming the next epicentre for the coronavirus. While the worlds attention has been focused on the unfolding crisis in the United States and South America, a concurrent human tragedy is fast emerging in South Asia, the organisation said. Covid-19 is spreading at an alarming rate in South Asia, home to a quarter of humanity. While India has reported almost 970,000 cases, the pandemic is also still raging in Pakistan and Bangladesh with almost 260,000 and 195,000 cases respectively. In total the three countries have recorded more than 1.4 million cases and almost 33,000 deaths, according to official figures that many experts say in reality are much higher. The IFRC also cited a report from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists -- yet to be peer-reviewed -- that in six months India could be reporting up to 287,000 cases per day. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In his presidential proclamation on 22 June, Donald Trump temporarily suspended the issuing of H-1B work visas till the end of the year Washington: A group of 174 Indian nationals, including seven minors, has filed a lawsuit against the recent presidential proclamation on H-1B that would prevent them from entering the United States or a visa would not be issued to them. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson at the US District Court in the District of Columbia issued summonses on Wednesday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F Wolf, along with Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court on Tuesday. "The proclamation 10052's H-1B/H-4 visa ban hurts the United States' economy, separates families and defies the Congress. While the two former points render it unseemly, the latter point renders it unlawful," said the lawsuit filed by lawyer Wasden Banias on behalf of the 174 Indian nationals. The lawsuit seeks an order declaring the presidential proclamation restriction on issuing new H-1B or H4 visas or admitting new H-1B or H-4 visa holders as unlawful. It also urges the court to compel the Department of State to issue decisions on pending requests for H-1B and H-4 visas. In his presidential proclamation on 22 June, Trump temporarily suspended issuing of H-1B work visas till the end of the year. "In the administration of our nation's immigration system, we must remain mindful of the impact of foreign workers on the United States labor market, particularly in the current extraordinary environment of high domestic unemployment and depressed demand for labor," said the proclamation issued by Trump. In his proclamation, Trump said the overall unemployment rate in the United States nearly quadrupled between February and May of 2020 producing some of the most extreme unemployment ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the May rate of 13.3 percent reflects a marked decline from April, millions of Americans remain out of work. The proclamation also extends till year-end his previous executive order that had banned issuance of new green cards of lawful permanent residency. Green Card holders, once admitted pursuant to immigrant visas, are granted "open-market" employment authorisation documents, allowing them immediate eligibility to compete for almost any job in any sector of the economy, Trump said. Forbes, which first reported the lawsuit filed by the Indian nationals, said the complaint points out that the Congress specified the rules under which H-1B visa holders could work in the US and balanced the interests of US workers and employers. "The complaint seeks to protect H-1B professionals, including those who have passed the labor certification process and possess approved immigrant petitions. Such individuals are waiting for their priority date to obtain permanent residence, a wait that can take many years for Indian nationals," Forbes reported. Meanwhile, several lawmakers urged Scalia on Tuesday to reverse the work visa ban. "Throughout this administration, the president has continued to lament the alleged abuses of the immigration system while failing to address the systemic problems that have persisted and allowed businesses and employers to exploit and underpay immigrant workers, guest workers and American workers," the lawmakers wrote. "This misguided attempt by the president to scapegoat immigrants for policy failures during the pandemic not only serves to hurt immigrants but dismisses the true problem of a broken work visa program that is in desperate need of reform," said the letter, which among others was signed by Congressmen Joaquin Castro, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Bobby Scott, Chair of the Education and Labor Committee; Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Judy Chu, Ra l Grijalva, Vicente Gonzalez, Yvette Clarke and Linda Sanchez. Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) is proud to support the revisions to Marylands insurance laws that increase access to care for those seeking fertility treatment. Effective January 1, 2021, Marylands infertility insurance law no longer has a marriage requirement, and the 2-year waiting period has been reduced to 1 year of unprotected sexual intercourse or three attempts of artificial insemination in the course of a year. Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) is proud to support the revisions to Marylands insurance laws that increase access to care for those seeking fertility treatment. Effective January 1, 2021, Marylands infertility insurance law no longer has a marriage requirement, and the 2-year waiting period has been reduced to 1 year of unprotected sexual intercourse or three attempts of artificial insemination in the course of a year. SGF applauds RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, of whom Shady Grove Fertility is a visionary partner, for their advocacy work. The Governor and the Maryland legislature are updating the states insurance lawwhich was the first infertility insurance law in the country in 1985to cover unmarried patients and more closely align with the guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Many Marylanders have an advantage over residents of other states when it comes to infertility insurance legislation, known as the Maryland Mandate, as Maryland was the first state in the nation to enact infertility insurance legislation and was the third state that also covers fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment. Currently, 19 states have passed laws that require health insurance coverage be offered for or actually cover an infertility diagnosis and/or fertility treatment, and ten states have fertility preservation laws for iatrogenic, or medically induced, infertility. Read more about State Fertility Insurance Laws. Over 90 percent of SGF patients with insurance have coverage for their initial consult, and at least 70 percent have some level of coverage for testing and/or treatment. For those without adequate insurance coverage, SGF offers unique financial programs such as its Shared Risk 100% Refund Program, which guarantees patients take home a baby or receive 100% refund, and income-based Shared Help Program, among other discount programs, that aim to make treatment affordable to all. To learn more about Marylands family building advocacy efforts, visit RESOLVE. To learn more or to schedule a virtual physician consultation with an SGF physician, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com. 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. Figures by Office for National Statistics do not include recent slew of job losses caused by the pandemic. The pace of decline in the United Kingdoms labour market slowed in June, official data have showed, although the figures did not include a recent slew of job losses caused by the coronaviruss hit to the economy. Early indicators suggested the number of employees on companies payrolls was down by 649,000 between March and June, with the largest falls at the start of the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday. The UK government closed non-essential shops and other businesses to the public on March 23, shortly after ordering the closure of bars, restaurants and cinemas. The unemployment rate in the UK unexpectedly held at 3.9 percent in the three months to May. A Reuters news agency poll of economists pointed to a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.2 percent. An ONS official said the unemployment rate had been held down by about half a million people who were away from work because of the pandemic and receiving no pay, but who said they believed they still had a job. Even so, the number of people in employment in the three months to May fell by the most since 2011, down 126,000, driven mostly by self-employed people, according to the ONS. Job losses unfortunately appear to be rising, and recent data on the governments furlough scheme suggests that these redundancies are likely to be heavily concentrated among lower-paid workers, said James Smith, a developed markets economist at ING. Rising unemployment is the main argument against a V-shape economic recovery, Smith added. There was another sign of the weakness in the labour market in the number of vacancies which fell in the three months to June to the lowest level since the data series began in 2001 at 333,000, 23 percent lower than the previous record low in 2009. Rishi Sunak, British finance minister, last week announced the latest round of measures worth 30 billion pounds ($37bn) to stem an expected surge in unemployment, including the payment of bonuses to companies which take back furloughed workers. But since then, a string of companies have announced layoff plans ranging from private security company G4S to retailers Boots and John Lewis. The EU's top court rejected the United States and Europe's data-sharing agreement on Thursday, July 16. Time reported that the national regulators are trying to protect the privacy of user's data from the risks of the EU-US data transfer agreement may cause. Also Read: Musk, Gates, Bezos, Others Subjected to Recent Hack that Tricked People to Send Over $100,000 to a Bitcoin Wallet E.U.s Top Court Invalidates Data-Sharing Agreement With U.S. July 16, 2020 at 05:48AM pic.twitter.com/ysr1O0BQ8L Marcus Vinicius Magalhaes | (@MVinicius_BJJ) July 16, 2020 Also Read: Twitter Bitcoin Hack: Here's a Shocking Info That Twitter Tries to Hide According to Techcrunch's latest report, the EU-US agreement called "Privacy Shield" was struck down after a highly anticipated ruling by Europe's top court was done. However, the invalidation does not mean a sudden halt to all data transfers beyond Europe since there is another legal mechanism that some companies can still use. A new system must still be developed to guarantee that Europeans' data will have the same privacy protection in the United States. "The Court of Justice invalidates Decision 2016/1250 on the adequacy of the protection provided by the EU-US Data Protection Shield," written in a press release. The CJEU's finding suggested that Privacy Shield might interfere with the fundamental rights of those individuals whose personal data are transferred to the U.S. since the requirements, law enforcement, and public interest of the third country have primacy. The case started in 2013 after the American government was revealed by a former U.S. National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, to spying on people's data and communications. The detail was also revealed on how Facebook provided the U.S. agencies with access to Europeans' personal data. A complaint was filed by an Australian activist and law student, Max Schrems, saying that the U.S. should not be allowed to received personal data since the data protection there is not as efficient compared in E.U. A system known as GDPR makes Europe's data privacy rules as one of the toughest. Some are disappointed with the decision Europe's decision does not relieve participating companies or other organizations of their obligations with Privacy Shield. "While the Department of Commerce is deeply disappointed that the court appears to have invalidated the European Commission's adequacy decision underlying the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, we are still studying the decision to fully understand its practical impacts," said the U.S. secretary of commerce, Wilbur Ross. pic.twitter.com/MlGBYCwO3d An EU court just killed a vital U.S. data-sharing agreement. Some say global trade is at risk https://t.co/jYCArXPh6Z Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) July 16, 2020 Ross also said that they are still hoping that the negative consequences to the $7.1 trillion transatlantic economic relationships can be lessened because it is important to respective citizens, companies, and governments in the U.S. He also confirmed that the U.S. will still remain in close contact with the European Data Protection Board and European Commission regarding the matter. It was explained that data flows are also essential to businesses of all sizes in every sector. The report claimed that it is important for companies to transfer data without interruption. Also Read: [BEWARE] New Android Malware Can Hack 337 Apps to Steal Passwords and Card Data: Here's How BlackRock Undetected 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Trend Since July 12 Armenian armed forces severely violated the ceasefire attempting to seize positions in Tovuz district of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office said, Trend reports on July 15. The Azerbaijani positions were shelled using various types of artillery, the message said. Once again demonstrating terrorist and aggressive policy by firing at densely populated settlements, Armenia committed a number of crimes against the civilian population. On July 14 at 3 pm (local time, GMT+4) due to explosion of a missile fired from a rocket launcher located opposite Bala Jafarli village of Gazakh District, various pieces of the shell scattered on the roofs and plots of houses belonging to residents of Khanliglar village - Salmina Aliyeva, Mahbuba Orujeva, Aziz Shirinov, llham Mehtiyev, Razim Musayev and Kamil Jahanov, the message said. As a consequence of deliberate destruction of properties, substantial damage was done. Immediate examination of incident scene, collection of evidence, involvement of specialists for determining damage and other investigative actions were provided by prosecution and police authorities, the message said. Upon the fact a criminal case has been initiated at Gazakh District Prosecutor's Office under Article 186.2.2 (deliberate destruction or damage to someones property, causing substantial damage to the victims by arson, explosion or in any other generally dangerous way or with grave consequences) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the message said. Necessary intensive investigative actions are underway, the message said. Greta Thunberg speaks to the media at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in April. (AP) Greta Thunberg has demanded European leaders act now on tackling climate change in order to safeguard humanity. The Swedish activist hit out at EU governments, saying that they needed to treat the warming up of the planet as an emergency. Arguing for a complete transformation of the entire economic system, the 17-year-old signed an open letter that stated: "We understand and know very well that the world is complicated and that what we are asking for may not be easy. Greta Thunberg speaks during a 'Youth Strike 4 Climate' protest rally in March. (Getty) The changes necessary to safeguard humanity may seem very unrealistic. "But it is much more unrealistic to believe that our society would be able to survive the global heating we're heading for, as well as other disastrous ecological consequences of today's business as usual. Demands in the letter included an immediate halt to all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction, in parallel with a rapid ending of fossil fuel subsidies. It also called for climate policies to be designed to protect workers and the most vulnerable and reduce economic, racial and gender inequalities, as well as moves to "safeguard and protect" democracy. The letter was made public the day before a European Council summit where EU countries will try to reach a deal on the bloc's next budget and a recovery package to respond to the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Thunberg argued that conferences wont change a thing unless climate change was treated as an emergency. Greta Thunberg, right, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, left, attend the weekly College of Commissioners meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels in March. (AP) She told Reuters TV: "We need to see it as, above all, an existential crisis. And as long as it's not being treated as a crisis, we can have as many of these climate change negotiations and talks, conferences as possible. It won't change a thing. She added: Above all, we are demanding that we need to treat this crisis as a crisis, because if we don't do that, then we won't be able to do anything. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK HOUSTON, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) has been awarded a contract for its proprietary Plinke Adiabatic Nitrobenzene solutions by Kutch Specialities Pvt Ltd, India. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide basic and detailed engineering design, equipment, and related advisory services to Kutch Specialities Pvt Ltd for its grassroots nitrobenzene project in India. KBR's proven process, patented equipment design, and material selection ensure plant availability and reliability to produce a high purity nitrobenzene with a focus on high energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Amongst other products, Nitrobenzene is used for the production of polyurethane foams, rubber chemicals, dyes and pharmaceuticals. "This contract reinforces KBR's process leadership in purification, concentration and processing of strong inorganic acids," said Doug Kelly, KBR President, Technology Solutions. "We are proud to work with Kutch Specialities Pvt Ltd to achieve its business expansion goals safely, reliably and efficiently." KBR has more than 70 years of experience in inorganics, including processes and technology solutions for crystallization, evaporation and the concentration and purification of strong inorganic acids. About KBR, Inc. KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life cycle within the Government Services and Energy sectors. KBR employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses: Government Solutions, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full life cycle of defense, space, aviation, and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, and program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics Technology Solutions, featuring proprietary technology, equipment, catalysts, digital solutions and related technical services focused on providing sustainable and value-add solutions for a broad base of industrial, ammonia, and specialty chemicals and inorganics customers Energy Solutions, providing services across the asset life cycle to customers globally, including energy transition and efficiency, onshore and offshore oil and gas, LNG/GTL, refining, petrochemicals, chemicals, and fertilizers KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long-term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. Visit www.kbr.com Forward Looking Statement The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company. KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. SOURCE KBR, Inc. Related Links http://www.kbr.com T he UK will see a mixture of sunny spells and showers over the weekend but temperature will soar to a balmy 28C. Forecasters said that a "band of rain" will hover around the north through Friday and Saturday before slowly making its way south through Sunday. But besides this spout of showers, the UK will see pleasant sunshine, interspersed with some cloudy skies, according to the Met Office. The mercury will soar to 28C in London over the weekend while the north will see cooler temperatures in the high teens. UK weather - In pictures 1 /9 UK weather - In pictures Ice covers a pond on a green in Kew, west London, after overnight temperatures in the capital dipped below freezing PA A person looks out as waves crash against rocks at Portland Bill in Dorset PA People look out to sea as waves crash against Chesil beach in Dorset PA Waves crash against Chesil beach in Dorset PA Flooding between Carlisle and Lockerbie from water running off a field onto the rail tracks PA/Network Rail Scotland Waves crash against rocks at Portland Bill in Dorset PA Tourists battle against wind and rain at Pier Head in Liverpoo PA Met Office spokesman Greg Dewhurst said that conditions will be "changeable" throughout the UK over the next three days. He said: "Throughout the weekend, a band of rain will cover the north and then slowly move south over the next few days, clearing the south coast on Sunday afternoon. "We will see sunny spells following in the wake of this rain." The country will see a mixed bag of sunshine and rain this weekend / PA Mr Dewhurst added that the heaviest rain over the weekend will hit the western part of Scotland on Friday. But he said for much of England and Wales it will be a dry day with "plenty of warm sunshine". Meanwhile, Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England will be overcast with outbreaks of rain, he added. London will see warm temperatures on Friday / AFP via Getty Images The south will see temperatures of up to 28C while the north will be cooler with a maximum temperatures of 18C. Mr Dewhurst said: "On Saturday, the band of rain will slowly move south so that Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England will see a mixture of sunshine and showers. "The southeast will see a warm day, hitting 25C while elsewhere will see highs of around 19C again." On Sunday, the band of rain will push quickly towards southern England in the morning, he said. But by the afternoon it will have cleared the south coast, leaving a sunny evening behind. Mr Dewhurst also said that Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England will see sunny spells and showers on Sunday. The weekend will end with temperatures of around 23C in the south and 19C in the north, he added. The federal, provincial and territorial governments have reached a deal on billions of dollars in transfers to continue reopening economies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/7/2020 (551 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, July 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The federal, provincial and territorial governments have reached a deal on billions of dollars in transfers to continue reopening economies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday. He said the federal government will contribute $19 billion under the "Safe Restart Agreement" to help provinces fund things like child care, contact tracing and personal protective equipment. There is also money to bail out municipal governments that saw soaring expenses and plunging revenues during the pandemic. Trudeau had promised $14 billion in early June, but several premiers said they needed more money and also resisted some of the conditions the federal Liberals wanted to put on the deal. Ontario Premier Doug Ford was one who didn't like a federal demand that some of it fund up to 10 days of paid sick leave to discourage workers with precarious employment from going into work ill. "This funding will support us as we get the economy going over the next six to eight months," Ford said Thursday. "My friends ... it's a great deal for Ontario." The agreement includes sick leave, fully funded by the federal government. Manitoba's Brian Pallister said he's pleased with that provision. "I think it's very important we have a national program, and the prime minister obviously agreed," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "I think the important thing is that, as opposed to some past discussions where premiers were drawn away from supporting other premiers, the premiers stuck together and they stood for what they wanted and largely got it." British Columbia's John Horgan said his province expects nearly $2 billion in transfers and emphasized the sick-leave program as a key move to make sure nobody feels pressured to go work sick. Quebec's Francois Legault wanted the money to be transferred without conditions so provinces could use it on whatever they considered most important. He also didn't want the cash distributed purely by population, noting that Quebec had been hit harder by COVID-19 than other provinces. Thursday, he echoed Pallister in saying that the premiers' sticking together got them a deal they like. He credited Saskatchewan's Scott Moe in convincing all the premiers to hold the line. "Yes, we wanted the federal government to invest and help get us through the pandemic, but we also wanted the federal government to respect provincial jurisdiction and also give us the flexibility to choose our priorities," Legault said. For Quebec, spending money on protective equipment from Quebec suppliers is a key example, he said. Trudeau said the agreement outlines seven priority areas, with some room for the provinces to apply the money to their particular needs over the next six to eight months. "The provinces agreed to invest in the targeted sectors," Trudeau said. "There are areas like support for vulnerable people where we will expect the provinces to declare publicly what they will do." At his side, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland added the agreement includes standards in certain areas, such as COVID-19 testing, in exchange for the federal money. Trudeau said workers can't work if their children don't have safe care, and many can't get to their jobs if they don't have access to safe transit systems. "Until we find a vaccine, the daily threat of COVID-19 will not disappear," he said. Municipal governments, which deliver many of those services, have been begging for aid for months, warning their finances are careening toward brick walls. Many city revenue streams dried up during the pandemic, as recreational centres and programs closed, and transit riders stopped using buses and trains. Toronto has reported that it's facing a $1.35-billion deficit this year. Mayor John Tory said the federal money will help, though how much depends on how the Ontario government allocates it. Transit in Toronto and its suburbs is critical and the systems' finances have been devastated by the pandemic, he said. Montreal says it has a $500-million shortfall. Halifax expects to be short $85.4 million. "If cities aren't equipped for a safe restart, people will not be safe," Trudeau said. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities said it's encouraged but wants to see the fine print. "We're optimistic this agreement will recognize the financial crisis municipalities face in this pandemic," said the federation's president Bill Karsten, a Halifax councillor. That means emergency funding thats clearly identified and gets to municipal front lines fast so we can keep vital services going strong and prepare to drive Canadas economic recovery." Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said in a statement that he welcomes a deal that will bring his province more than $250 million. "Provinces have borne the full impact of COVID-19 and individuals and businesses across Nova Scotia will feel the impact for months to come," he said. "This funding will help to address those challenges." He said the funding will help with: Testing, contact tracing and data management Health care, including mental health and addictions Aiding vulnerable populations, including in nursing homes Personal protective equipment 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. Early learning and child care Municipal budgets, including public transit Paid sick leave Missing from the list is public education, which is administered by the provinces. Many provinces are struggling with how to reopen schools safely in the fall, and many parents won't be able to go back to work fully if children aren't physically in class. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2020. With files from Amy Smart in Vancouver, Steve Lambert in Winnipeg, Giuseppe Valiante in Montreal and Jordan Press in Ottawa Patrick Tehan/Special to the Chronicle Theres a pleasant end-of-the-road escapism vibe in Los Osos and Baywood Park, the sleepy coastal communities that hug the southern end of Morro Bay and are edged by windswept, fog-shrouded natural preserves like Montana de Oro State Park. Today, theres a culinary renaissance afoot, with celebrated restaurants such as the Blue Heron and Nois Thai Take-Out. The 2014 opening of Baker & Brains tasting room added more juice to the scene. The brand was envisioned in 2009 while Josh Baker and Matt Brain, who met while working at Edna Valley Vineyards, were camping in Yosemite. (Baker still works as a custom crush winemaker, and Brain spent many of the ensuing years as a professor of wine at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Fresno State.) Their initial focus was on Pinot Noir from select sites across the Central Coast, but the vision has expanded to include cool-climate Grenache and Syrah as well as whites like Gruner Veltliner, Albarino, Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay. New Delhi/Beijing, July 16 : In a diplomatic offensive against Beijing, India on Thursday rejected China's claim over South China Sea, as the talks over the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh remained inconclusive. Reiterating its position, the government said that South China Sea is a part of global commons and India has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region. "We firmly stand for the freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in these international waterways, in accordance with international law, notably UNCLOS," said the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava. Though the government has articulated its position on South China Sea on several occasions, as recently as in May this year, the spokesperson repeated the stand by saying that India's position on the issue has been clear and consistent. "India also believes that any differences be resolved peacefully by respecting the legal and diplomatic processes and without resorting to threat or use of force," the statement said. The offensive came at a time when India and China have been engaged in discussions through established diplomatic and military channels to address the situation along the LAC in India-China border areas. The special representatives of India and China on the boundary question, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval of India and Wang Yi, State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, had a telephone conversation on July 5. A meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on July 10. In the two meetings, the two sides agreed on complete disengagement of troops along the LAC and de-escalation from the India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols. The Indian and Chinese senior Commanders held their fourth meeting at Chushul on July 14. "The Commanders reviewed the progress of implementation of the ongoing disengagement process and also discussed further steps to ensure complete disengagement at the earliest," the Ministry of External Affairs said. The two sides, the government said, remain committed to the objective of complete disengagement and full restoration of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas. "The two sides will continue their diplomatic and military engagements to achieve these outcomes," the ministry said. However, the government spokesperson said that "the process of disengagement along the LAC is complex." The disengagement process currently underway in the Western sector, he said, is specifically aimed at addressing faceoff situations and close-up deployments of troops along the LAC. "It is based on an understanding between senior military Commanders. Both sides have agreed at specific points to re-deploy towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the LAC. These are mutually agreed reciprocal actions to be taken by both sides," he said. It is an ongoing process, Srivastava said, adding that the mutual re-deployment should not be misrepresented. "There is absolutely no change with respect to India's position on the LAC. We are fully committed to observing and respecting the LAC. Any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC are not acceptable," he reiterated. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been challenging for everyone. Though restrictions in the U.K. have eased considerably, and the younger royals are back to work, Queen Elizabeth II remains in isolation due to her advanced age. Though the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, seemingly have everything they could ever want at their disposal, this has been a drastic change for the queen. The sovereign monarch is used to being out and about constantly something shes done for the better part of seven decades. However, until a vaccine is developed, its safer for her to remain at her country estate. Though shes been video calling her family and holding virtual meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the queen also has quite a bit of free time on her hands. It seems that shes really gotten into Netflix as a result. Queen Elizabeth is still in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic The queen and Prince Philip are currently in quarantine with 22 staff members at Windsor castle. The staff includes Queen Elizabeths master of the household, her private secretary and his assistants, and other members of her senior staff. The staff is remaining on the estate for a period of several weeks so they do not risk infection. They wont be seeing their families because no risks can be taken and they cant go in and out, an insider told The Sun. The most important thing is to protect the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh from the virus. If something happened to them it doesnt bear thinking about. RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Gave a Subtle Shoutout to The Crown During Her Christmas Speech Queen Elizabeth II adores Netflix The queen already knows about Netflix. In fact, shes watched Season 1 of The Crown, which is based on her life, in its entirety. She was introduced to the series through her youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex. According to The Daily Express, She really liked it, although obviously there were some depictions of events that she found too heavily dramatized. In 2019, during her annual Christmas Day speech, Queen Elizabeth shouted out the series by showcasing a photo of herself and the Apollo 11 crew from 1969. The moon landing and the astronauts visit to Buckingham Palace were some of the main events in Season 3 of the series. Queen Elizabeth has been obsessed with this Netflix show lately As much as Queen Elizabeth II appreciates The Crown its not her current quarantine obsession. Apparently the queen has become quite fond of the ITV series, The Durrells which is currently streaming on Netflix. Set in the 1930s the series follows a British family who moves to Corfu, Greece for a new start. Actor Josh OConnor (who coincidentally also stars in The Crown as Prince Charles) stars on The Durrells discovered that the queen is a major fan. He told Radio Times, 'Unlike the Chinese army that has been largely a peace time force, the Indian Army is a battle hardened force,' explains Colonel Anil A Athale (retd). IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi with Indian Army soldiers in Leh, July 3, 2020. Photograph: Press Information Bureau One is curious to know what the Chinese were smoking when they took the decision to go all aggressive on several fronts. All that this has done is provoke a backlash against China for its numerous omissions and commissions on the spread of the coronavirus. The degree of support India has received (overt and covert) from countries far and near is proof. The Chinese seriously miscalculated the institutional strength of the American military. As the US election day nears and the current president starts to look like a lame duck, these institutions will assert themselves even more. IMAGE: A soldier stands guard beside the Cosco Wellington, a container ship at the China Pakistan Economic Corridor port in Gwadar, Pakistan. Photograph: Caren Firouz/Reuters Whatever the declared intent and offensive strategy vis a vis Pakistan, India has no interest in taking over that country. India is a territorial status quo power even in Kashmir and logically has no interest in posing a threat to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor passing through Gilgit-Hunza under Pakistani occupation. India's aggressive posture against Pakistan is tactical in order to create a deterrence against Pakistani interference in the Kashmir valley. Irrespective of the vocal posture, no political party in India wants a 'United India' that consists of Pakistan as that will upset the demographic balance and create more headache due to the infusion of extremist Islam. China should be well aware of this. Even the threat to Gwadar port posed by Baluch insurgents and possible Indian support is directly related to Pakistani support to Kashmiri militants. Stop one and the other will also reduce, if not end. Chinese fears of a threat to the CPEC are imaginary and exaggerated given the difficult terrain in north Kashmir. Photograph: ANI Photo IMAGE: The general defending Ladakh against the Chinese : Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding, 14 Corps, pays tribute at the Leh War Memorial on the occasion of the 72nd Army Day in Leh, January 15, 2020. Neither is India in a position to pose a threat to the Aksai Chin highway between Sinkiang and Tibet. India has shown its tacit acceptance of Chinese possession of that part of Aksai Chin. India's posture in Ladakh is purely defensive. It is true that China has indeed drawn away some of the reserves from the Pakistan front, but the forces oriented to fight in the plains remain in position. Unfortunately for Pakistan, that country lacks strategic depth. Its main cities, population centres and main recruiting areas in Punjab are well within Indian artillery range. If a joint Sino-Pak military adventure is to take place in Ladakh or the Gilgit sector, the conflict will not remain confined to the mountains, but will surely spread to the plains of Punjab. The Pakistani coastline is also vulnerable to the much more powerful Indian Navy and will not escape punishment. The Chinese calculation regarding the economic costs is true for both sides. While for India the logistics pose a tactical problem, for China, the logistics chain stretches over 2,000 kms to its main miitary bases. Tibet and Xinjiang are bereft of any local resources and even a pin has to be transported over thousands of kilometres. In the post pandemic world of slow economic growth, China will also have to pay a heavy cost of deployment on a live border. IMAGE: Chinese soldiers at a parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, at Tiananmen Square, October 1, 2019. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images On paper, the Chinese armed forces do look more formidable than Indian. But in terms of equipment fielded, the technology edge seems to be in India's favour. Indian tanks and anti-tank missiles are far superior to the Chinese version. In addition, unlike the Chinese army that has been largely a peace time force, the Indian Army is a battle hardened force. If history is to be any guide, even in 1962, the outgunned and outnumbered Indian Army gave a good account of itself in Ladakh. The real rout was in the East, in Arunachal Pradesh. As a researcher of that conflict, one can vouch for the fact that much of that disaster was due to the command failure of one man, Lieutenant General B M Kaul. China seems to be miscalculating on the Indian internal scene as well. In the post-Independence era, Indians have shown that in times of crisis, they stand as one. The Chinese seem to mistake the 'noise and din' of Indian democracy to be a sign of internal discord. As to the Kashmir situation, India is well poised to gradually restore statehood and regional autonomy sooner than the Chinese expect. Devolution of power to the states has been the hallmark of Indian democracy and it is this that has held the diverse country together. IMAGE: A protest against China in Ahmedabad, June 18, 2020. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters The world has suffered because of COVID-19. Most nations rightly blame China for this misfortune. Instead of being sensitive to these feelings China is aggravating them by its aggressive behaviour. The world wants to see China get a bloody nose and if India can do it, it has the world's full backing. If the Chinese read the history of the rise of the great powers they would notice that 'soft power' is one of the major ingredient of their rise. The 18th and 19th centuries saw British domination of the world. It was said that the sun never set on the British empire as there was always some part that was in daylight! Vast swathes of populations including in India accepted British rule willingly and collaborated with them. The British did have certain sterling qualities and principles. For instance, as early as 1776 when it was early days of British rule in India, Edmund Burke, the British liberal, lambasted the British empire and its rule in India over people far more civilised than us, as he put it. Many British colonies retained the language and institutions that the British built even after gaining independence. The British empire flourished because of notions of the rule of law and individual rights as much as due to their military prowess. The latter half of the 20th century saw the rise of the US and Soviet Union as the two superpowers. In their case too, the power of their ideologies, freedom and democracy for one and socialism and rule of the proletariat for the other were key ingredients in their rise. China as a rising superpower is totally bereft of any element of 'soft power'. Its notions of the Middle Kingdom and the Han race's superiority has no takers in the world. Aggression and military power are not enough to reach the status of a world power as Hitler's Germany found to its cost. Maybe China learns this lesson in the 21st century. IMAGE: Xi Jinping, centre, flanked by from left, Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, former Chinese presidents Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, at the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2017. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters India and the world must make a clear distinction between an aggressive and dictatorial Communist party of China and the ordinary Chinese people. The ordinary Chinese people, a full 40% of whom are practicing Buddhists, are hardworking and peace loving. It is unfair to blame them for the sins of the ruthless party that rules China. There is certainly an Asian civilisational ethos that is different from the West. It is this that India and China share. One had thought that minor disputes over a remote border would not hinder co-operation between the two Asian giants. China has betrayed this common cause when it went back on the pledge 'We have differences, but will not let them become disputes'. Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a former Chhatrapati Shivaji Chair Fellow at the United Services Institute of India. Feature Production: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com Press Release 16 July 2020 Deutsche Hospitality is presenting its new "H Rewards" loyalty programme. The hotel company will be offering a significantly expanded package of benefits to guests of all of its five brands - Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, MAXX by Steigenberger, Jaz in the City, IntercityHotel and Zleep Hotels. The bonus scheme takes effect immediately. With "H Rewards" both regular guests and new customers will benefit from the first night of their stay. "H stands for hospitality," said Thomas Willms, CEO, Deutsche Hospitality. "Our aim is to offer our guests the best possible experience at every location for every travel occasion. This loyalty programme represents a new milestone in the European hotel sector. We are rewarding loyalty across all brands within a short period of time and in a more effective way than ever before. This lends even better expression to the high esteem in which we hold our guests. We have been working tirelessly with our shareholder Huazhu over the past few months to develop a programme for our five brands with a view to delivering a completely new experience for customers." "H Rewards" is a major global loyalty programme that Huazhu is already operating very successfully on the Chinese market. Steigenberger Hotels AG will run "H Rewards" in all markets outside China in future following the development and introduction of the scheme for the Deutsche Hospitality brands. The new programme provides participants with a wide range of benefits to make any stay at a Deutsche Hospitality hotel even more individual and enjoyable. Exclusive offers and attractive rates will be available to members from the very first stage of the scheme. Progression to higher status levels has also been made particularly easy to achieve. It does not matter whether guests book a stay with Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, Zleep Hotels or with one of the other hotel brands. They will enjoy additional benefits across all brands as their status grows. These include accommodation and gourmet vouchers, upgrades to the next highest room category, free breakfast and particularly favourable conditions. The attractive rewards offered to members of the scheme will undergo further development on an ongoing basis. The prerequisites for advancement to a higher status level can be fulfilled via hotel stays spread over a number of years. This means that long-standing guests will receive a particular added value. Within each level, members have twelve months to achieve the next higher level. In the near future, participants from China will also be given the opportunity to use their member benefits in Deutsche Hospitality branded hotels. By the same token, participants from other countries will be able to do the same in China, where Huazhu operates more than 6,000 hotels. "H Rewards enables us to offer customers a first-class experience via our direct channels," added Christian Saliger, Director CRM & Loyalty, Deutsche Hospitality. "We will be continuing with the further development of our digital touch points during the coming months." "H Rewards" will replace the previous bonus programme "Award World" from July 2020. "We would like to extend our warmest thanks to all Award World members for the loyalty they have shown. They will be given privileged entry to the new scheme. Of course, all points collected can be transferred", Christian Saliger explained. Further information can be found at www.global.hrewards.com. Dear Julia, In politics, youre never meant to apologise. Especially publicly. Thats backflipping. And, as you well know, that can come at a political price. In our industry, changing your mind even if its completely genuine and informed by lived experience or research isnt the done thing. But, today, Id like to say sorry. Following the 10th anniversary of your rise to the prime ministership, along with the release this week of Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, the book you have written with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, many important conversations have been reignited. Chelsey Potter is campaigning for fairer treatment of women in politics. Credit:Ben Searcy Both inside and outside of the political bubble, most women can vividly recall where they were when you assumed our countrys highest office. The conversations they had with their daughters. That misty-eyed moment and the sheer enormity of your achievement heralded an exciting new era. Another crucial flag planted for the sisterhood. Victoria Beckham attends the Portrait Gala 2019 at the National Portrait Gallery. (WireImage) Victoria Beckham has said she suffered incidences of bullying as a youngster and had few friends at school. Writing in Vogue Australia, Posh Spice reflected on how she encourages daughter Harper, nine, to speak to children at school who may be struggling to make friends due to her own experiences. She shared: "When I was at school, I was quite an awkward teenager; I didn't have a huge amount of friends, and looking back I recognise that I was bullied at times. Read more: Victoria Beckham shows off freckles on Instagram "I would never want anyone else to feel how I was made to feel. So when Harper started school, I said to her: 'If you're ever in the playground and there's a little girl who is sitting on her own, ask her to play with you, go up and engage with her, because Mummy used to be that little girl.' Victoria Beckham when she was known as 'Posh Spice' in 1996. (Getty Images) "I want everyone to know that no one is on their own when Harper is around." Despite her awkward teenage years, the 46-year-old was only in her early 20s when she was catapulted to worldwide fame as part of the Spice Girls. At age 25, she married husband David with whom she went to to have four children, Brooklyn, 21, Romeo, 17, Cruz, 15 as well as Harper. There has been some happy news for the Beckham family recently after Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn announced his engagement to girlfriend Nicola Peltz. Sharing the couple's engagement photo to Instagram, Victoria wrote: "The MOST exciting news!! We could not be happier that @brooklynbeckham and @nicolaannepeltz are getting married! Wishing you so much love and a lifetime of happiness. "We all love you both so much x @davidbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven." Libya's tribal figureheads mandated President El-Sisi and Egypt's Armed Forces to intervene to protect the sovereignty of Libya and to take the necessary measures to secure the national security interests of both countries Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Thursday he will request parliament's approval in case of intervention in Libya. El-Sisi's statement came during his meeting with Libyan tribal chieftains who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in conflict-torn Libya. "Egypt is capable of changing the military scene in Libya and it has got the strongest army in the Arab world and Africa, he said. In case Egyptian forces enter Libya, you (the chiefs of tribes) will be on the head of the troops with the Libyan flag, he added. Egypt's announcement came following the forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), which are backed by Turkey, carried several attacks against the Libyan National Army (LNA), backed by Egypt, Russia and United Arab Emirates, and announced that its troops will move forward towards establishing control over Sirte and Jufra, which hosts Libya's largest air base. During the meeting, El-Sisi said that the red lines which he spoke about in his speech at Sidi Barani military base last month were an invitation for peace and an end of the conflict. The Egyptian president stressed during that speech that Sirte and Al-Jufra are red lines for Egyptian national security. He added that Egypt will not stand still in the face of actions that pose a direct and strong threat not only for the Egyptian and Libyan national security but also for the Arab, regional and international national security. "The main objective of the Egyptian efforts towards Libya on all levels is to support the free will of the Libyan people to achieve a better future for the country and its future generations," El-Sisi told the Libyan tibes leaders. El-Sisi stated that Egypt was ready to train Libyan youth in Egyptian military academies so they would be the core of the Libyan army. He reiterated Cairo's rejection of foreign interventions in Libya which aim to steal Libyan wealth. The Egyptian president added that since the Cairo Declaration was announced, it was noticed that one of the parties involved did not want to comply with the ceasefire. Cairo Declaration initiative which based on previous UN Security Council's resolutions and Berlin conference conclusions stipulated a ceasefire should have started 8 June, with an adherence to all international initiatives and Security Council resolutions on the unity and territorial integrity of Libyan lands. It also stipulates the continuation of talks by the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission in Geneva sponsored by the UN, and obliges all foreign parties to remove all foreign mercenaries nationwide, the dismantling of militias, and the handover of weapons to allow the LNA to cooperate with other security apparatuses to carry out their military duty. The GNA which controls of most of northwest Libya rejected it. Libya's tribal figureheads mandated President El-Sisi and Egypt's Armed Forces to intervene to protect the sovereignty of Libya and to take the necessary measures to secure the national security interests of Libya and Egypt and to face the common challenges. The tribal leaders' call is in line with the Libyan parliament's request for Egypt to intervene, a presidential statement read. The meeting comes days after the eastern-based Libyan parliament called on Egypt to intervene militarily to counter what it called "Turkish occupation. The meeting was held under the slogan "Egypt and Libya one people, one fate." Search Keywords: Short link: Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Actor Amit Sadh has revealed that he contemplated suicide at the age of 16 but eventually talked himself out of it. He said that it was a sign of strength to admit to weakness or failure, and a nurturing environment can help troubled people. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Amit opened up about having suicidal thoughts as a teenager and said, I think it takes courage. I think it is a sign of strength when you admit you are wrong, weak or failing. The only thing is, you have to be lucky and blessed to have an environment and people around you who dont kick you in ba**s when you tell them that you are falling. Amit said that a safe environment needs to be created for people going through emotional turmoil. Thats the change we need to bring in society, each other and ourselves, that when we find situations like this, are we equipped to help those people rather than judging them and actually crucifying them and making life more hell for them, he said. Amit started his career on television and starred in a number of shows including Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr, Guns & Roses and Durgesh Nandinii. In 2010, he transitioned to films with Ram Gopal Varmas Phoonk 2. Also read | Rhea Chakraborty replies to troll who gave her death, rape threats after Sushant Singh Rajputs death: Enough is enough Recently, Amit was seen playing a police officer in the Amazon Prime Video series Breathe: Into The Shadows. He was tested for Covid-19 after his co-star Abhishek Bachchan tested positive on Saturday. The two had dubbed together at the same studio, days before Abhisheks diagnosis. Amit tested negative and shared the news on Twitter. Thank you for your prayers and concerns. This is the only time I say happily I am negative. To all people battling this, my prayers and thoughts continue. Love you. Togetherness is the only strength!, he wrote. Meanwhile, Amit is gearing up for the release of two of his films this month - Tigmanshu Dhulias Yaara and Anu Menons Shakuntala Devi, which will release on Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video, respectively. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Iranian protesters have gathered in the streets of Shiraz and Behbahan, chanting slogans against the countrys establishment. Social-media users on July 16 called for nationwide demonstrations at 7:00 p.m. local time against a court decision to uphold death sentences against three men who participated in protests last year. Videos shared on social media purportedly showed protesters in Behbahan, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, and in Shiraz, the capital of southwestern Fars Province, shouting slogans against the death sentences handed to Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi, and Mohammad Rajabi. The Reuters news agency quoted witnesses as saying security forces fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators in Behbahan. Meanwhile, an increased presence of security forces was reported in the streets of the capital, Tehran, and several other cities. On July 14, Iran's judiciary said the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentences against Moradi, 25, Tamjidi, 27, and Rajabi, 25, for criminal actions during protests in November sparked by a hike in gasoline prices. The decision sparked a surge of online protests against the sentences, with the hashtag #Dont_Execute in Persian trending globally on Twitter, being used more than 7 million times. In a joint statement on July 16, United Nations human rights experts strongly condemned the Supreme Courts decision, and urged the head of Irans judiciary to immediately quash this decision and to grant a prompt and independent judicial review. They also called for an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of torture made by Moradi, Tamjidi, and Rajabi, followed by the prosecution of the perpetrators if their claims are founded. Iran could overturn the death sentences against the three, since a provision in Irans Code of Criminal Procedure authorizes the head of the judiciary to intervene in finalized rulings deemed to be in violation of Islamic law. Under that provision, judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi could instruct the Supreme Court to issue a new verdict. The death sentences were originally imposed in February. Moradi, Tamjidi, and Rajabi have denied the charges and said they were tortured to make confessions, which were later used against them during trials. From the outset, their arrest and detention and subsequent trial is replete with allegations of denial of their due-process rights, the UN independent experts said. Their statement reads that international law limits the imposition of the death penalty to the most serious crimes and precludes its imposition if a fair trial has not been granted and if other rights have been violated. It adds that the imposition of the death penalty on the basis of overbroad national security charges would amount to an egregious violation of Irans human rights obligations. Iran was rocked by five days of unrest following a hike in gasoline prices in November 2019. The protests were violently suppressed by security forces. Iranian authorities have still not released reliable information on the numbers of fatalities during the unrest. A senior Iranian lawmaker said in June that 230 were killed and thousands injured during the protests, while Amnesty International said more than 300 people died in the crackdown. The case of Moradi, Tamjidi, and Rajabi is not an isolated incident, the UN experts said, adding: There are widespread reports of arbitrary detention of protestors and torture to obtain false confessions. Other individuals have also reportedly been imprisoned and possibly sentenced to death for their participation in the protests. The experts urged Iran to conduct an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the events, prosecute officials involved in human rights violations, and free all those detained for protesting peacefully. The experts included Javaid Rehman, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran; Agnes Callamard, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, special rapporteur on rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; David Kaye, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Nils Melzer, special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, among others. With reporting by Reuters Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Johannesburg, South Africa Thu, July 16, 2020 07:55 552 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666a5bd8 2 World South-Africa,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,COVID-19-infection,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free South Africa's coronavirus cases inched over 300,000 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, as the continent's worst-affected country hurtles towards an expected peak of infections. "We have exceeded the 300,000 mark to reach a cumulative total of 311,049 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement. An additional 107 fatalities were also reported on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths up to 4,453. Over 35 percent of cases were recorded in Gauteng province -- South Africa's financial hub and epicenter of the outbreak, which also accounts for the highest number of deaths. President Cyril Ramaphosa last week warned that the "coronavirus storm" South Africa faced was "far fiercer and more destructive than any we have known before". The country is the hardest-hit in Africa, followed by Egypt with just under 85,000 confirmed cases and 4,067 deaths to date. South Africa's mortality rate has remained low, however, at just under 1.5 percent on Wednesday. More than half of the country's COVID-19 patients have recovered from the virus. "We are now facing a real rise in infections," Ramaphosa said earlier on Wednesday, noting growing pressure on "challenged" health facilities. The president re-imposed a night curfew and a controversial alcohol sales ban on Sunday to ease pressure on hospitals. Those restrictions had been gradually lifted after a strict seven-week lockdown. "It gave us an opportunity to prepare, to prepare our health facilities to be able to deal and cope with the rising infections," Ramaphosa assured. "Now that infections are rising our health facilities... face challenges," he said, adding that alcohol sales had been suspended to limit the number of "people who go to hospital with trauma incidents". Jeff Hawks Offers to Work with Scientists to Ensure They Get the Grants They Need for Valuable Research LINCOLN, NE / ACCESSWIRE / July 16, 2020 / Grant writers struggle with submitting and winning grants that can be used to fuel their research. Scientists admit that they don't know where to look for funding. Further, many areas are highly competitive, leading to the need to focus on what makes their proposal unique. Jeff Hawks of Nebraska, a former research assistant professor in mechanical engineering, has focused heavily on robotic technology for the agricultural, medical, and space exploration industries and has won a number of grants. The grants that Jeff Hawks has won have allowed him to focus more heavily on mechatronic devices and biomechanics. He believes that successful grant applications need to show how the work can be used to improve existing operations and even improve compliance. Jeff Hawks has begun offering grant consultations so that other scientists can benefit from grants being offered without having to worry about the details. There are many programs, universities, and companies offering to fund research. It can make it easier for people to continue their innovative research methods while getting the necessary money to move forward. Jeff Hawks finds that it's important to show off the big picture. Many scientists write grant applications to focus on what they're doing. What they fail to do is show how their research will help with the big picture applications. The impact of a grant on a research field is critical. Throughout the grant consultations, Jeff Hawks focuses on some of the biggest issues. This includes acknowledging that there are timelines. Scientists need to dedicate the time necessary to complete the grant proposals to ensure that they are getting the necessary funding. Further, it is critical to tell a good story with a sound scientific method to analyze results. Many scientists get too involved in the details and, therefore, applications are rejected because the reviewers aren't understanding what is going on. Story continues Jeff Hawks also identifies that many ideas are too overambitious. He has received a number of grants because of learning how to narrow his focus. As opposed to simply focusing on robotic technology, he looks at assisting agriculture and farming with the technology. He has also focused on researching biomedical devices, and more specifically semi-autonomous robots used in the military. When Jeff Hawks works with scientists on their own grants, he looks at simplifying the explanation or application of the scientific method to obtain results. It can make it easier to find specific grants where there is less competition. It can also ensure that reviewers understand the concept and can get on board with the ideas. Jeff Hawks has begun offering grants consultations as a way to move science forward. With so many grants being offered, he wants to ensure that those with exceptional ideas have the ability to get the funding they need in order to bring new technology into various industries. More specifically, Jeff Hawks wants to work with those specializing in biomechanics. CONTACT: Caroline Hunter Web Presence, LLC +1 7865519491 SOURCE: Jeff Hawks View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/597649/How-Scientists-Can-Benefit-from-Grant-Consultations-with-Jeff-Hawks Would-be spa-goers might be reassured to know that even before the pandemic, the industry was one of the most rigorously controlled, by state and local regulations, associations and accrediting bodies, and by self-policing. Just one case of norovirus or foot fungus, much less the novel coronavirus, traced back to a spa could be a death knell for that facility, so spa owners have plenty of incentive to keep their places squeaky clean. The difference now is that spas are taking back-of-the-house cleaning measures to the front of the house, in what Sensei chief executive Kevin Kelly refers to as the theater of protocol. Turkish diplomat Kemal Uchkun had been stationed in Turkmenistan since January 2018. On June 27, Uchkun realized his coughing fits that had started two days earlier were probably something serious. He went to a hospital in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, where he was admitted with respiratory problems and treated for pneumonia. He never left alive. According to official records in Turkmenistan, Uchkun died of heart failure after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia in the midst of a sudden wave of deaths that Turkmen officials have attributed to pneumonia. But one person familiar with the sequence of events leading up to Uchkuns death says the diplomat died from COVID-19. That source, who requested anonymity over fears of reprisal for speaking out, told RFE/RL that Uchkun might have been saved had Turkmen officials not been so obsessed with clinging to the governments claim that coronavirus does not exist in Turkmenistan. Uchkun passed away at night on July 7. A plane specially sent from Turkey took his body away for burial back home shortly after. Negative Test Result RFE/RLs source wanted to give their account of the events that occurred from the time Uchkun was admitted to the hospital until his death. According to the source, Uchkun was being treated for pneumonia and doctors at the Ashgabat hospital gave him antibiotics. The source says Turkmen doctors tested Uchkun for coronavirus on two separate occasions but, both times, said the results were negative. As the Turkish diplomats condition worsened, he obtained his medical records, including X-rays taken several days apart, and had them sent to several doctors in Turkey to get their opinions. Those doctors in Turkey included physicians who specialize in treating coronavirus cases. They believed it was more than 90 percent certain that Uchkun had the coronavirus and recommended Uchkun return to Turkey immediately for treatment. On his seventh day in the hospital, Uchkun requested emergency evacuation. But according to RFE/RLs source, Turkmen officials refused to allow a Turkish medical-evacuation plane to fly into Turkmenistan. To some extent, this is not entirely surprising. Since early March, Turkmenistan has rerouted all international flights arriving in Turkmenistan to the airport in the eastern city of Turkmenabat, several hundred kilometers to the east of Ashgabat. The medical-evacuation plane that Turkey wanted to send was naturally requesting landing permission in Ashgabat where Uchkun was hospitalized. This should not have been a major hurdle. But for some reason, it was. Permission for the flight into Ashgabat was only granted on July 9, two days after Uchkun died. From the time Uchkun received the opinions of the Turkish physicians until his death, doctors at the Ashgabat hospital continued to treat him with antibiotics. Uchkun knew to ask for antiviral therapy. But doctors at the Ashgabat hospital continued treating him with antibiotics, which are ineffective against viral infections because they can't kill viruses. Turkmen officials insistence that the country has no cases of coronavirus defies reason. Turkmenistans neighbors -- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran -- have registered tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases. Unofficial information from inside Turkmenistan suggests the virus is already hitting the population hard. Turkmen authorities have occasionally introduced measures that other countries have implemented to fight the spread of the coronavirus. But in Turkmenistan, officials have never admitted that COVID-19 is the reason for the new public health measures. For example, wearing masks was unofficially prohibited, with police actually removing masks from peoples faces, until July 8, just after a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived and the day after Uchkun died. Suddenly, wearing masks in public became mandatory in the Central Asian former Soviet republic. The official reason for the new mask rule was to protect people from dust. But dust blows regularly through Turkmenistan, as most of the country is desert. When strong winds blow from the northeast, they often carry salt from the dried-up bottom of the desiccated Aral Sea. There have never previously been calls from authorities for people to wear masks. WHO Recommendations That visit by the WHO team was originally scheduled for late April. But Turkmen authorities delayed the teams arrival for more than two months. At a July 15 press conference, WHO mission chief Catherine Smallwood said the team visited all sites agreed upon in advance with Turkmen authorities. She said the team had not seen or heard anything that would contradict the Turkmen governments assertion that coronavirus does not exist in the country. However, Smallwood did recommend that Turkmen authorities act as if COVID-19 was circulating in the country. She also commented on the reports of increased cases of acute respiratory disease or pneumonia of unknown cause. She said the WHO recommended that surveillance and testing systems are scaled up, and that samples are sent to WHO reference laboratories for confirmed testing. Turkmen authorities shut the country off from the rest of the world years ago, making it virtually impossible to independently verify the many claims of success the government continues to make. Ashgabat has gone to great lengths to preserve their myths. It is difficult to imagine that any person, particularly a foreign diplomat, would be allowed to die in order to maintain a government's claim that COVID-19 does not exist in the country. But RFE/RLs source has no doubt that is exactly what happened to Uchkun in Turkmenistan. RFE/RLs Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, contributed to this report The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday gave permission to hire super specialist doctors as visiting professors at Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida. Addressing the fourth administrative body meeting of the GIMS, chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari said that the super specialist doctors will not only ensure qualitative treatment for patients, but will also help train undergraduate and postgraduate students at the hospital. It has also been decided that additional posts of senior resident doctors will be created soon. The government has also agreed to open a trauma centre in the campus of the medical college, he said. The chief secretary also said that the college administration has been asked to provide best possible treatment to the Covid-19 patients admitted there. We have also approved their demand to open the hospital management department and get accredited from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), he said. GIMS director Dr. (Brig) Rakesh Gupta said that this decision will be proved a milestone in making GIMS, a world-class medical college. Tiwari also appreciated the efforts undertaken by the team of doctors and para-medics, in treatment of Covid-19 patients admitted there. G B Nagar cases With two more deaths in the district recorded on Thursday, the overall death toll in Gautam Budh Nagar has now gone up to 37. District health officials did not disclose the details of the deceased. GB Nagar district acting chief medical officer (CMO) Dr. Nepal Singh said that with 143 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) reported in the district in the past 24 hours, the overall count has gone up to 3,869 cases. According to the daily health bulletin released by the state control room, a total of 2,878 Covid-19 positive patients have been cured and discharged, including 67 on Thursday, in the district so far. So far, 37 Covid-19 positive patients have lost their lives in the district. As a result, the district now has 947 active cases, the bulletin stated. The bulletin said that in the last 24 hours, as many as 29 Covid-19 patients in Uttar Pradesh have lost their lives and their death audit report is awaited. On the other hand, after declaring fresh list of 339 containment zones on Wednesday evening, including 305 in category-1 (with just one Covid case) and 34 in category-2 (more than one Covid case), the GB Nagar district Thursday issued orders to de-seal 30 (28 category 1 zones and two under category 2) of them. District magistrate Suhas LY said that the containment zone in urban areas will be a 250 metre radius from the residence of a patient or the entire mohalla (floor in which the patient resides in a society) in case there is a single positive case and radius of 500 metres. If there are more than one positive cases, there will be a buffer zone of 250 metres outside the containment zone. In rural areas the village will be taken as containment zone if there is one case, if there is more than one case the adjoining area of villages will be taken as buffer zone, he said. While a containment zone imposes strict restrictions on the movement of residence and complete sealing on the entry and exit points, while in buffer zones, movement is not restricted but services, except for essentials, are. The DM further informed that in case of multi storied residential buildings / societies the same rules will apply with regards to containment zones. If one case in a floor situated in a multi-storey society, that particular floor where active case/ cases have been found shall be designated as containment zone. If cases are found in more than one tower in a society, all such towers where active cases have been found along with all such common facilities like park, gym swimming pool, and banquet hall shall form containment zone, he said. An international team of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist has discovered a strategy that can potentially address a major challenge to the current treatment for choroidal neovascularization (CNV), an aggressive form of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) has revolutionized the treatment for CNV; however, up to one-fourth of all treated patients are unresponsive to this treatment and about one-third of the responders become resistant to it after repeated administration over time. Working with a mouse model they developed, the researchers found that combining apolipoprotein A-I binding protein (AIBP) with anti-VEGF overcomes anti-VEGF resistance and effectively suppresses CNV. The findings open the possibility of reducing anti-VEGF resistance in patients in the future. The study appears in the journal Communications Biology. Addressing resistance to anti-VEGF treatment has been challenging. For instance, developing strategies to overcome the resistance has been limited by a poor understanding of its mechanism and the absence of suitable animal models. "Various combination therapies have been explored in clinical trials. For example, targeting PDGF (Fovista) or the angiopoietin pathway. However, no major breakthrough has been reported. In fact, a phase III trial combining anti-VEGF and PDGF failed to demonstrate improved efficacy," said co-corresponding author Dr. Yingbin Fu, associate professor and Sarah Campbell Blaffer Endowed Chair of Ophthalmology at Baylor. A new approach to combat anti-VEGF resistance Fu joined forces with Dr. Longhou Fang, associate professor of cardiovascular sciences at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center and co-corresponding author of this work. The inspiration for their study came from previous work suggesting that macrophages may play a role in anti-VEGF resistance and that increased cholesterol accumulation in macrophages may promote CNV. Such cholesterol accumulation also has been associated with the formation of abnormal new blood vessels invading the retina. These vessels leak, which promotes inflammation and rapid photoreceptor (light-detecting cells) damage. In addition, Fu, Fang and their colleagues, as well as other researchers, had reported that AIBP promotes the removal of cholesterol from endothelial cells and macrophages, two cell types that are involved in the development of CNV. "Together, these observations suggested the possibility that AIBP might help overcome anti-VEGF resistance and effectively suppress CNV," Fu said. Developing an animal model to assess new approach to overcome anti-VEGF resistance To test their hypothesis, the researchers developed a model of anti-VEGF resistance by combining advanced age with laser delivery in mice. As they became older, the mice showed increased resistance to anti-VEGF treatment that correlated with increased intracellular cholesterol accumulation in macrophages. The researchers tested the effect of AIBP and anti-VEGF in disease progression in this mouse model. In young mice that were about eight weeks old, both AIBP and anti-VEGF were equally effective in controlling disease progression. In intermediate age mice, which were about eight months old or the equivalent of middle-aged people, macrophages showed increased cholesterol accumulation. In this group, anti-VEGF treatment was less effective when compared with younger mice, but the AIBP treatment was as affective controlling the disease. The oldest group of mice, which was about 18 months old or the equivalent of senior people, showed highest cholesterol accumulation inside macrophages and were resistant to anti-VEGF treatment. Interestingly, AIBP alone also did not inhibit CNV, but the combination of AIBP with anti-VEGF overcame the anti-VEGF resistance and robustly suppressed laser-induced CNV by 47 percent. This study also has increased our understanding of the mechanism underlying anti-VEG resistance. The researchers provide strong evidence that the accumulation of cholesterol in old macrophages plays a central role in anti-VEGF resistance because the old mice became responsive to anti-VEGF treatment when macrophages were chemically depleted. Fu, Fang and colleagues propose that the beneficial effect of AIBP is likely due to both its ability to enhance cholesterol removal from macrophages and its anti-inflammatory function. Clinical implications "Our findings encourage us to test the combination therapy of AIBP and anti-VEGF in clinical trials to determine whether it can help patients with the condition," Fu said. "The projected number of people with age-related macular degeneration is 196 million in 2020 and 288 million in 2040. There is great interest in novel therapies for this devastating condition." Co-author Dr. James Handa, Chief of the Retina Division at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine said, "Age-related macular degeneration has multiple factors that contribute to its development; therefore, future treatments that target multiple pathways, such as what we describe here, may lead to more effective outcomes." "As a cardiovascular scientist, my research is centered on cholesterol metabolism and angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels. My team has been collaborating with Dr. Fu for several years in developing AIBP as a potential treatment for age-related macular degeneration," Fang said. "Our studies show that AIBP can be a promising therapy for the treatment of CNV. Compared to the standard anti-VEGF therapy, AIBP targets multiple causes of age-related macular degeneration by correcting the adverse profiles associated with aging. The discovery that the combination therapy can overcome anti-VEGF resistance shows the power of multidisciplinary research." ### Other contributors to this work include Lingping Zhu, Mackenzie Parker, Nduka Enemchukwu, Megan Shen, Guogang Zhang and Qing Yan. The authors are affiliated with one or more of the following institutions: Baylor College of Medicine; Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center; Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, China; Rice University; Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York. This work was supported by grants from BrightFocus Foundation, Retinal Research Foundation, the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Endowment in Ophthalmology, NIH core grant 2P30EY002520 to Baylor College of Medicine and an unrestricted grant to Baylor's Department of Ophthalmology from Research to Prevent Blindness. Were not describing a fever dream but Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos new New York Tough poster, which depicts the hardships of the coronavirus pandemic as a mountain that New Yorkers have climbed. A mask rests on the summits peak. Essential workers, and the governors daughters and dog, pull the curve down. What we did was historic because we did tame the beast, Mr. Cuomo said on Monday as he introduced the retro political poster, his second this year. We did turn the corner. We did plateau that mountain. And then we came down the other side. The internet immediately began picking apart the artworks oddly specific details. (Again, Boyfriend Cliff? We and others assumed that the young man dangling from its edge was the partner of one of the daughters.) A day later in The Times, the art critic Jason Farago devoted 1,100 words to the poster, saying, Your average TikTok video displays more careful graphic execution than this. Americas Racial Reckoning: What you need to know Full coverage: Race & Reckoning Demographic changes: How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990 Newsletter: Subscribe to About US to read the latest on race and identity George Floyds America: Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life Resources: Understanding racism and inequality in America He is known for his love of gaming, and previously admitted he missed a call offering him the role of Superman because he was too busy playing World Of Warcraft. And Henry Cavill drove fans wild with his latest Instagram video which saw him build a gaming PC from scratch to sultry music on Friday. The Witcher star, 37, could be seen in a blue tank top that showed off his muscular arms and torso as he constructed the computer. Multi-talented: Henry Cavill drove fans WILD as he built a gaming PC from scratch to sultry music in a hilarious video he shared to Instagram on Friday He built the computer to the tune of Barry White's You're The First, My Last, My Everything and Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe, which left fans reeling. Henry first showed his progress using a GoPro camera that was attached to a headband so he could show fans the little details that go into putting a PC together. Then swapping to a camera that filmed him from a further distance, Henry smiled as he used tools to put the parts together until the build was complete. Muscular: The Witcher star, 37, could be seen in a blue tank top that showed off his muscular arms and torso as he constructed the computer Sultry music: Henry built the computer to the tune of Barry White's You're The First, My Last, My Everything and Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe, which left fans reeling In an amusing twist, the actor showed off the finished computer which had colourful lighting inside and worked perfectly fine, until he realised he had put one of the components upside down. Endeavouring to fix his mistake, Henry decided to take the whole thing apart again the next day so that he could the numbered panel would be the right way around. Joking about the video, he wrote in the caption: 'All The Parts This kind of material isn't for everyone....viewer direction is advised. You may see a lot of parts that you haven't seen before.' close look: Henry first showed his progress using a GoPro camera that was attached to a headband so he could show fans the little details that go into putting a PC together Oops: In an amusing twist, the actor showed off the finished computer which worked perfectly fine, until he realised he had put one of the components upside down (left) Determined: Endeavouring to fix his mistake, Henry decided to take the whole thing apart again the next day so that he could the numbered panel would be the right way around Fans were besides themselves over the video, and took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Superman actor's looks and ability to build a computer. One person wrote: 'Who needs 50 shades of grey when you can watch Henry Cavill build a PC?' While another joked: 'i watched henry cavill build a gaming pc for 6 minutes. 12/10 great content [sic]' Another fan added: 'Watching Henry Cavill build his gaming PC was an experience I wasn't emotionally or mentally prepared for. BRB swooning. [sic]' Gushing: Fans were besides themselves over the video, and took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Superman actor's looks and ability to build a computer Henry still has a lot of time to game before he heads back to the set of The Witcher, which resumes filming on August 17 after filming came to a halt because of the coronavirus crisis. Showrunners took to Twitter last month to reveal the news in the form of a poem by Geralt's bard Jaskier, which said it was time for filming to restart after production stopped earlier this year amid the coronavirus crisis. The poem read: 'Im dusting off my lute and quill, I have some news, some mead to spill: After all the months weve been apart Its time for production to restart. 'The Witcher and his bard whos flawless, will reunite on set 17 August.' Production on The Witcher had begun in February in the UK prior to the lockdown, with some scenes being filmed in Surrey. A smart city needs all the bells and whistles the sensors and signals, computers and robotics that its skin-and-bones architecture demands. But its blood, its human plasma, is the data of our lives. And should Toronto attempt another smart-city project over the next decade, its the control and distribution of that human data its governance that will make or break the venture, experts say. A smart city at its core is about getting use out of data and limiting harm from that data, says Richard Lachman, director of research development at Ryerson Universitys faculty of communication and design. Therefore, Lachman says, a successful smart city in the Toronto of 2030 will likely find its roots in the failed Sidewalk Labs project in the Port Lands, which finally fizzled out in May after years of hype. That Google-backed plan was sunk in large part by its narrow focus on technology the skin and bones of a smart city rather than on the data that would course through its chips and circuits, he says. That fixation on unfettered technology fed by unchecked human data caused many to fear their privacy would be imperilled and to balk at the whole enterprise, Lachman says. As a result of that the backlash against Sidewalk and then them pulling out were able to see much more (what we) need to do first, he says. We need to figure out what benefits we want and what risks there are and what were willing to do in order to gain extra utility. While most experts agree the privacy of data is paramount, there is also a strong belief that Torontos future could rest largely on growing a smart city over the next decade and that there is both the untapped real estate and sociological climate here to do so. At its core, a smart city spreads a net of electronic hardware, algorithms, apps and technologies that allow for the tracking of information and the use of that data to effect hopefully positive changes. Its really about being able to track more information and then make more intelligent decisions about where we deliver services and what kind of services we want to deliver, Lachman says. The COVID-19 crisis provides an unfortunate but apt example of the dilemma presented in that smart city scenario. That is the possibility of using cellphone location data to track a persons movements and interactions over a set period time in the event they test positive for the virus. Six months ago I think all privacy activists, all technology activists would have said, Thats crazy, I dont want all my movements tracked, Lachman says. But because of COVID I can say, I do want that benefit. The key to a successful smart city, then, is to transparently and with force of law lay out what data can be tracked, in which situations, who gets to use it and for how long, Lachman says. Where marketers can stalk every keystroke or credit card purchase to hawk mattresses or patio furniture on your internet feed, a city has far more weighty concerns to deal with, he says. As a city we connect with law enforcement, we connect with public health, we connect with immigration status. So we have to be much more deliberate and say if we want a public health benefit, like contact tracing, then I want to limit where that data goes and not make it available to, say, law enforcement or public school truancy officers, Lachman says. Data can allow the city to automatically change traffic lights or highway signage to instantly ease traffic flow or to close roads to automobiles and create pedestrian malls and patios. It can also be instrumental in making long-term decisions about transit routes or bike lane construction. Its just there can also be other things that we dont want driven by that data, Lachman says. For example, while using cellphones to track a motorists speed might be permissible and even desirable in determining where to build traffic calming structures, no one would want to see speeding tickets showing up in the mail because of that surveillance, he says. Indeed, Lachman says, many of the decisions on data dissemination should be made at the individual level in a smart city scenario, with people being able to enter or withdraw from data streams at will. You may be a person of colour and you dont believe carding has gone away; you might not want to share the same data as some other members of society, Lachman says. Those rights and that reality need to be protected. While such opt-out options can weaken any data sets predictive power making intelligent decisions less certain they are essential to gain a consensus that would allow smart city plans to go forward here, Lachman says. However the governance of such issues is structured, a smart city should certainly be built here, says the University of Torontos Tamer El-Diraby, who has studied such projects intensely. El-Diraby, an expert in infrastructure asset management, says smart city growth is inevitable around the world. And, he says, Toronto would lose its ability to lead the country economically and wade into the urban backwaters globally should it forgo a smart city project. If it were to get out front, however, it will drag Ontario, it will drag Canada with it, he says. And more importantly it will be the shining example of the best way to do this. Its our duty to jump in and make the smart city example. El-Diraby sees three layers to a smart city, the first and, surprisingly, easiest being the Jetsons-like hardware it would operate. That includes the internet of things, the driverless car, the smart bridge, the smart sidewalk and so forth, he says, adding many of these technologies are currently available. The second layer consists of the ever-improving data streams that will fuel and direct the hardware data that was rife with errors in the past. Now we have this (improved) data and now we have the ability to be on the cusp of major breakthroughs with what to do with our data, he says. And that inherently means we can help the city to be more efficient, more sustainable and the communities to be more informed. But the third layer, El-Diraby says, is the most important, though the most uncertain and challenging one he labels governance and community empowerment. In this more ephemeral layer, he says, lies the real potential for Toronto to achieve enormous technological and economic advancements through the opportunities many not yet dreamed of the smart city will offer as it evolves. The smart city will open new horizons for new business models, new companies, new industries, he says. And if we are in a reactive mood to these new developments then we will be missing the post. A smart city evangelist, El-Diraby uses an example from late-19th-century Britain to illustrate his point. Then, he says, a cabal of businessmen and economists predicted the growing city of Londons economy would be stuck fast in horse manure in a matter of years, even as the automobile was making its noisy debut. And eight years later Henry Ford completely removed this fantastic, smart (manure) estimation because a complete new horizon opened, El-Diraby says. His point is not so much that smart city denialists have their heads stuck in horse manure. Its more that the car also brought with it mammoth yet unforeseeable new industries such as auto insurance and repair, highway construction, courier services, drive-thrus, motels and long-distance trucking, to name a few. In the same way, Toronto would miss out on the industries and innovations that smart cities will surely inspire. If we end up (concentrating) on what the smart cities will look like or how the data is going to be available or not available and neglect this huge opportunity, Canada will be left behind, El-Diraby says. We need to encourage the community at all various levels to take on this new advantage. El-Diraby looks to the lowly pothole to illustrate his thinking. He says a smart city network of driverless cars could detect and report any encountered pothole in a matter of nanoseconds. But what would they do? They will send a request to the city to fix that pothole, he says. How long will it take the city to fix that pothole? The answer, by current standards, is likely many quadrillions of nanoseconds (or about 11 days). But we could have a new business model for running the streets where they can provide instantaneous service to (the smart-car operator) instead of waiting for the city to do that, El-Diraby says. We open an industry for street management that never existed before. Just as governments are traditionally slow with pothole repairs, El-Diraby also worries that they are not nimble enough to be custodians of the data a smart city needs to run full throttle. When it comes to cities, data is in the hands of government, which is the slowest player of them all, he says. When it comes to the municipal, city level, the data is not there, it is not reliable and the government does not have a model, a plan, a future where they will not only adapt to the evolution, but will make that evolution. El-Diraby says data would be better handled by a separate entity that could collect and disseminate it with the same efficiency that banks have to run financial transactions. Data needs to be instantaneous and agile, if smart city visions like this are to be achieved, El-Diraby says. If you have this data about my phone, but also you have data about my schedule and also data about the weather but also more data about the current pollution, you can advise me about what to do, he says. Maybe you can tell me, If you walk today from here to here, then instead of taking a taxi youll be able to take the subway and youll save this money and this much emissions. More than many other municipalities, Toronto is in a position to build a smart city from the ground up, says Natasha Tusikov, an assistant professor in York Universitys social science department, who has studied the subject extensively. Many cities embarking on such projects, especially in Europe, are fully built out and will have to retrofit new technologies into densely packed streets and neighbourhoods, Tusikov says. Toronto is different because it (has) a large swath of former industrial land with really nothing on it, she says, referring to the Port Lands. Land where an entity could start fresh. Tusikov, however, says a smart Toronto should respond to the needs and desires of its residents, rather than offer the splashy but often superfluous features that Sidewalk Labs was shilling. The way Sidewalk Labs approached it was to create a sensor-embedded smart city that would collect a lot of data and address issues that maybe people didnt think were priorities, she says. They started with what they could build or sell, instead of real problems. And rather than the Sidewalk Labs model where Google would own all the innovation and toss local industries bit work a new smart city here could spread the wealth, Tusikov says. A different vision would be to have a variety of entities, maybe some non-profit, local or multinational, she says. And all of the different entities could provide different products and services. In the vast, built stretches of Toronto, smart city technologies could help solve transit and housing problems, Tusikov says. But such enduring problems would still require the multi-level political commitment and funding that theyve lacked for decades. Affordable housing? You cant simply solve that by adding technology, Tusikov says. Regardless of its eventual configurations, a smart city might find a warmer sociological environment in Toronto than in many other cities, says David Soberman, Canadian National Chair in strategic marketing at U of Ts Rotman School of Management. Soberman, an expert in big data, agrees that privacy will be of paramount importance in any smart city project. But Toronto may sit in a sort of Goldilocks zone between a resistance to any intrusions on personal information and an accepted or enforced lack of privacy that exists in other nations. So were in a middle ground, and when youre in a middle ground it gives you a lot of chance to experiment, Soberman says. You can experiment with collecting information, you can do tests to see what people will accept. (It) gives us a chance to experiment and learn and to find ways of using this information that people and Canadian will find acceptable. As well, Soberman says, Canadians have a greater respect for government a belief that it would protect privacy rights in particular than people in many other nations. I think that creates a positive environment. If somethings got the stamp of approval by the government, people are going to feel protected, he says. In the end, Lachman says the experience of COVID-19 in hard-hit Toronto might well make residents more open to the idea of group tracking and its potential to improve lives. Were thinking of one another. Were realizing our group decision-making might affect one another, he says. But that does not diminish the need for intense, expert debate on smart city governance, prior to the first sensor embed. There absolutely may be an appetite, Lachman says. What I want to caution is you dont make a decision with a gun to your head. Read more about: A Westwood Public Schools employee who was working at Downey Elementary School with students over the summer has tested positive for COVID-19, after initially being told her test was negative. While she was working at the school when she started to show symptoms on July 3 COVID-19 test and stayed home from work. When the results came back she was told that she was all clear and could return to work. Her medical provider then called back telling her she'd been misinformed about her results and she was actually positive for the virus. We share the communitys concern that a staff member in our summer program has tested positive for coronavirus. We want to emphasize that her exposure to students was limited to a three-hour block, during which time she was properly outfitted with PPE, Superintendent Emily J. Parks said in a statement to CBS. Downey Elementary School and Westwood High School opened for in-person instruction during the districts special education program. "We want to emphasize that her exposure to students was limited to a three-hour block, during which time she was properly outfitted with PPE," Parks said in the statement. About 100 students participated in the summer programs at the two schools. According to Westwood Public Schools, the families of students who came into contact with the staff member have been notified. The scare comes as Rep. Ayanna Pressley took to Twitter over the weekend to lambast Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos over the federal governments plan to reopen schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. DeVos maintained on Sunday that American schools can reopen safely. There is nothing in the data that would suggest that kids being back in school is dangerous to them, DeVos said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. Kids need to be in school. They need to be learning, they need to be moving ahead. And ... we cannot be paralyzed and not allow that, or not be intent on that happening. Related Content: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has issued a statement on the threats of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan to launch a missile strike at the Metsamor Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. The statement reads as follows: "The threats voiced by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan to launch missile attacks at the Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant indicate the level of desperation and the crisis of mind of the political-military leadership of Azerbaijan. The actions threatened by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan are a flagrant violation of the International Humanitarian Law in general and the First Additional Protocol to Geneva Conventions in particular. Such threats are an explicit demonstration of state terrorism and genocidal intent of Azerbaijan. Moreover, with such statements the leadership of Azerbaijan acts as a menace to all the peoples of the region, including its own people. We strongly condemn the nuclear threats voiced by Azerbaijan, which demonstrate absolute absence of responsibility and sound judgement from this particular member of the international community. Azerbaijan must publicly denounce such threats at once." API, a Trinseo company, announces compliance with GRS standards for recycled content containing material Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali S.p.A (API), the footwear arm of material solutions provider Trinseo, recently received Global Recycled Standard (GRS) accreditation for three of its thermoplastic elastomers (TPU). These materials all branded APILON 52 ECO are part of the Company's sustainable solutions portfolio and contain varying amounts of recycled content. The GRS certification provides independent evidence of a material's sustainability claim. To be certified, a material must contain at least 20% pre-consumer or post-consumer recycled content. API has been working closely with its customer VAMAS for the past five years on a closed-loop initiative to secure scrap material straight from the luxury footwear maker's manufacturing floor and feed it back into virgin material for reprocessing. This scrap is considered Post Industrial Recycled (PIR) material since it left the original place of production API and was reclaimed from an outside facility VAMAS. "This is an example of a creative material solution developed together with one of our valued customers to achieve sustainability goals," said Giancarlo Busa, Global Market Leader TPE Footwear. "VAMAS has always been committed to sustainable solutions and this is another way the company can reduce its impact on the environment through material selection." "In this case, by reclaiming scrap from material originally produced at Trinseo, we know the composition of the product, and can mix it with virgin material while maintaining original performance properties. By having up to 50% recycled content in our APILON 52 ECO grades, we're able to reduce fossil-based raw material consumption by reusing material that would have otherwise been scrapped." API was audited by ICEA, a non-profit consortium that certifies food and non-food companies in areas of sustainability. ICEA is endorsed by GRS as well as the Textile Exchange, a global non-profit that drives textile industry transformation with a goal of reducing the industry's impact on the world's water, soil, air, and human population. The audit for GRS traced the material from the time it was produced and compounded at API to the VAMAS production facility where it was reclaimed, separated by color, and reground. Auditors then followed it through the process of being returned to API for reprocessing and finally delivered to VAMAS to be used in new footwear applications. API is known in the footwear industry for working closely with customers throughout the footwear development process, its custom color capabilities, and its next generation sustainability solutions that include bioplastics as well as recycled content containing materials. Its vision over the next several years is to continue to impact sustainability through a portfolio of innovative materials where a growing percentage of them is considered sustainable because of their composition. Earlier this month API's parent company Trinseo launched ambitious sustainability goals for the next decade. Read more here. About API API is an Italian company specialized in the production of thermoplastic elastomeric compounds and bioplastics. Founded in 1956, API has developed a deep and proven experience based on continuous research into innovative, customized compounds for a wide range of applications. API was acquired by global materials company Trinseo in July 2017. For more information visit www.apiplastic.com. About Trinseo Trinseo (NYSE: TSE) is a global materials solutions provider and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber. We are focused on delivering innovative and sustainable solutions to help our customers create products that touch lives every day products that are intrinsic to how we live our lives across a wide range of end-markets, including automotive, consumer electronics, appliances, medical devices, lighting, electrical, carpet, paper and board, building and construction, and tires. Trinseo had approximately $3.8 billion in net sales in 2019, with 17 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,700 employees. For more information visit www.trinseo.com. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" including, without limitation, statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, projections, expectations, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are not statements of historical facts. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words like "expect," "estimate," "will," "may," or expressions of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements reflect management's evaluation of information currently available and are based on the Company's current expectations and assumptions regarding the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company's business, the economy and other future conditions. Specific factors that could cause future results to differ from those expressed by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, risks related to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and those discussed in the Company's Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in other filings and furnishings made by the Company with the SEC from time to time. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on the Company's performance. As a result of these or other factors, the Company's actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof and are not a guarantee of future performance. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200716005626/en/ Contacts: Press Contact: Trinseo Deutschland Anlagengesellschaft mbH Radu Botoaca Tel: +49 6196 969 3025 Email: rbotoaca@trinseo.com The government has said it is open to discussions with the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners over concerns they have raised about the countrys management of COVID-19 cases. According to President Akufo-Addo's Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, the appropriate agencies are available to discuss the issues and come to a proper resolution. The Society for Medical and Dental Practitioners in a statement on Wednesday [July 15] questioned some of the government's decisions in the management of the COVID-19 situation. Among other things, they lamented the breakdown of safety protocols and an explosion of cases in the country. The Society said government must urgently accredit or open up more testing centres, prepare oxygen production plants and provide PPE to their members. But Dr. Nsiah Asare on Eyewitness News said the Society can make their issues known to the Regional Directorate or National Headquarters of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and even the COVID-19 Secretariat to have them addressed. We are open to having discussions with anybody. If my colleagues, the society of private practitioners have any issues, our offices are open, they should come and sit with us. We will look at it and solve it. The Regional Directorate is there, the National Headquarters of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is there and the COVID-19 Secretariat is there as well so I will encourage them to come and meet us. This fight against COVID-19 is a fight for everybody, not any specific person whether private or public so if anyone has a concern they should come so we fight it together, he said. Data from the Ghana Health Service shows that as at the morning of Thursday, July 16, 2020, the total number of positive cases in Ghana was 25,430 with 21,511 discharge/recoveries and death toll of 139. Regional breakdown Greater Accra Region 13,986 Ashanti Region 5,277 Western Region 2,190 Central Region 1,131 Eastern Region 962 Volta Region 441 Upper East Region 282 Northern Region 271 Bono East Region 206 Western North Region 200 Oti Region 138 Bono Region 107 Ahafo Region 103 Upper West Region 70 Savannah Region 57 North East Region 9 ---citinewsroom Programme Manager, UNV, Bangui, Central African Republic Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme Country: Central African Republic City: Bangui, Central African Republic Office: UNDP Bangui Grade: P-4 Closing date: Thursday, 30 July 2020 Job ID: 31628 Practice Area - Job Family: Management Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 30/07/2020 Duty Station: Bangui, Central African Republic Education & Work Experience: I-Masters Level Degree - 7 year(s) experience Languages: English, French Grade: P4 Vacancy Type: FTA International Posting Type: External Bureau: United Nations Volunteers Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension Background The UNV Field Unit is an efficient functioning unit with a primary priority focus on Volunteer Mobilization through partnerships and inter-agency collaboration. The UNV FU in the CAR has two elements with one presence focused on Agency, Funds and Programmes and one fully integrated in the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR (MINUSCA) to provide full administrative and operational support to the serving UN volunteers into the UN Missions functional structure. The UNV Field Unit in MINUSCA is based in Bangui. Reporting to the Manager, Regional Office, the Programme Manager is responsible for the effective strategic planning, programming, advocacy and overall management of the day to day operations of UNVs programme activity within the context of its programme collaboration with the MINUSCA in Central African Republic. Duties and Responsibilities Coordination and provision of administrative, operational and programme support to UN Volunteers Manage and coordinate the UNV Field Unit and the UNV Support staff to ensure maximum efficiency and output of UNV involvement in UN activities in field locations, including the administrative and corporative backstopping to the UN Volunteers in CAR. In addition, the incumbent is also required to promote gender balance/gender mainstreaming; human-rights based approach and capacity development and transfer of know-how to national staff/counterparts among UN Volunteers; Conduct regular monitoring visits to the UN Volunteers assigned to locations outside Bangui; Constantly monitor the security situation in the country, liaising with the Designated Official and the Security Staff and efficiently oversee security / safety of UN Volunteers; Manage and oversee project and programme budgets for all peacekeeping related to UNV activities in the country. This includes regular financial reporting, preparation of project budget revisions and financial tracking of resources external to UNV/HQ, when applicable; Manage the efficient documentation of UN Volunteers contributions to give visibility to their results and achievements in support of the Sustainable Development Goals; Manage efficiently training and capacity building activities in coordination with the UN Missions Training Unit - and the budget provided by UNV Regional Office for the promotion of volunteerism; Demonstrate leadership in the implementation of the Digital Transformation process that is currently being rolled out within the organization. Strengthening UNV programme positioning within the UN system in the country Maintain regular contact and coordinate activities with the UNV Field Unit in UNDP CAR to ensure a coherent and coordinated programmatic positioning of the UNV programme in line with the UNV Strategic Framework, and in the context of the strategic review of MINUSCA; Develop regular contact with numerous partners at the sub-regional, country and, if required, headquarters level, in order to strengthen existing collaboration and promote/identify new opportunities for UNV in the areas of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, crisis prevention and recovery activities; Where appropriate, develop and follow up on leads and planning exercises with key partners at the field level, with the view to support UN Volunteers involvement in the thematic focus areas of peace building and peace keeping. This includes regular short and long-term programme analysis, preparation of official correspondence, preparation of programming advisory notes, programme strategy papers, and project documents; Contribute to the creation of a corporative identity for the UN Volunteers and to the promotion of volunteerism through the UN Volunteers in MINUSCA and across the country, in collaboration with the UNV Field Unit in UNDP CAR. Support advocacy efforts and visibility of the UNV Programme and promote volunteer activities in the country Promote the visibility of UNVs contributions to a wide range of audience (within MINUSCA, UN Agencies, DPPO, UNV HQ); Ensure volunteer participation in public events such as the international celebration days, with particular emphasis on the International Volunteer Day, and MINUSCA/UN corporate events; Identify, pursue and develop inputs to DPPO, MINUSCA, UNV publications/websites/social media networks; Prepare working documents for programme development purposes. This includes the preparation of Strategic Country Profiles, MINUSCA-specific case studies, best practices, briefing notes, etc., which capture UNVs activities/contributions in peacekeeping, early recovery and peacebuilding in the country; Identify, pursue and develop news stories, case studies, and briefs for publication in DPPO, UNDP, UNV and other publications. This involves close consultation with UNV Communications team; Provide advisory support on UNV programme and mandate to different stakeholders in MINUSCA and in the whole country, in collaboration with the UNV Field Unit in UNDP CAR. Integration of UNV programme and volunteerism into corporate and country-level strategic (reporting) documents Develop innovative approaches to demonstrate the added value of volunteerism in specific country focus areas, as it pertains to MINUSCAs mandate; Participate in UN system wide (esp. MINUSCA) and UNV corporate and country level discussions and planning, including the preparation of Regional Office reports, contributions to UNV regional work plans and routine preparation of briefing and advisory notes. Managerial functions Tags capacity development central africa early recovery electoral electoral assistance financial reporting international relations knowledge management official correspondence peacebuilding project management public administration reconciliation results based management social sciences sustainable development sustainable development goals volunteerism Represent the UNV Programme with UN partners, including senior UN officials, with Government and with civil society and other partners; Manage the recruitment, performance and career management of the Field Unit personnel to motivate and promote organizational excellence; Provide guidance to the MINUSCA FU in Bangui; Manage learning activities, including establishing Unit learning plans and ensure staff supervised meets their development needs while meeting the needs of the Mission. Competencies Core Competencies: Innovation Ability to make new and useful ideas work Leadership Ability to persuade others to follow People Management Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Communication Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Delivery Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement Functional Competencies: Sustainable Development Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, covering the economic, social and environmental dimensions Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Ability to support peace processes to facilitate recovery and development Relationship Management Ability to engage and foster strategic partnerships with other parties, inter-agency coordination and forge productive working relationships Results-based Management Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results Project Management Ability to plan, organize, motivate, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals Knowledge Management Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge Required Skills and Experience Education: Master degree in social sciences, public administration, humanitarian, or international relations/development studies. Experience: Minimum 7 years of relevant work experience at the HQ and/or field level, preferably with UNDP/UNV, or in the areas of humanitarian relief, electoral assistance, special operations in UN peace keeping environment and communications; Work experience as UN Volunteer / Programme Officer in a field location is an asset. Language Requirements: Fluency in English and French. Disclaimer Note: Only short-listed applicants will be contacted; The successful candidate will hold a UNDP letter of appointment; Applicant information about UNDP rosters UNDP/UNV reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP/UNV at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements. Workforce diversity UNDP/UNV is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. UNDP/UNV does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Scam warning The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web. Conor Counihan has led the tributes to his friend and fellow Aghada clubman Kieran OConnor who sadly passed away on Wednesday after a long illness. OConnor, 41, died following a three-year battle with cancer, which first emerged when he was diagnosed with a rare bone tumour, Ewings sarcoma. As the 2010 All-Ireland winner fought a third bout of the disease last year, a Friends of Kieran group was established and raised over 300,000 to help cover medical costs. Counihan, who was manager for OConnors last four years with Cork, commended the dignity with which OConnor battled cancer. The test of any fella is when youre in your darkest hour. All-Irelands and things like that pale into insignificance. He just managed himself so well over the last two and a half years. He never stopped being out there. Most of the time you met him, you wouldnt have known there was a whole pile wrong. We knew he was suffering physical pain never mind anything else but he was just strong for himself, his wife Sinead and his family (children Isabelle, Ava and James). Counihan remembers OConnor as a ferocious competitor on the field and an unassuming but sociable man off it. When the kids came along, he put a massive focus on them. Sinead and them, thats what it was all about for him. Hed be fairly laid-back outside sport and great company. As a father and a husband, you couldnt say enough about him. Kieran O'Connor, Pearse O'Neill, and Michael Shields celebrate Cork's 2007 All-Ireland SFC semi-final win over Meath at Croke Park. Picture: Dan Linehan He might have got to Cheltenham in November for the craic and there was a few of us involved in an auld horse and he used to get great enjoyment out of that as well. But family was everything for him. Read More Demand for hurling visor soars ahead of return to action His family and Sineads family have been massively supportive throughout it all. In the context of the GAA, its sense of community and what it can do, one of the positive things that came out of it was how the whole fundraising element developed. What people did for him, he was blown away by that. Its Kieran on this occasion but many families get hit by it. People just rallied around him at the time and one of the great learnings in life is when people are down others are invariably there to help them. There were so many people who wouldnt be associated with the GAA who lent their support and that meant an awful lot to him. Having made his senior Cork debut under Billy Morgan in 2004, OConnor cemented his position in defence the following season. He was a member of the panel that Counihan led to an All-Ireland title 10 years ago. He started both the 2007 and 09 finals as well as claiming three Munster SFC medals, three Division 1 titles and a Division 2 honour. He would have been a bit of a rogue growing up, smiles Counihan. He was ultra-competitive and crossed the line a bit but thats what made him, as the fella said. He was just good company, very ordinary, very quiet but hed fight his corner when he had to. He just had speed, that competitive edge thats essential for a good corner-back. Hed be cocky enough when it came to it. He could burst up the field and get the odd score but it was the speed and aggression that stood to him. He had those qualities in abundance and thats what made him, In the club here, when the going got tough youd put him on one of the other teams good forwards and youd know that was it. The sheer competitiveness he brought every time he went on the field, you knew he would give his all. OConnor and Pearse ONeill followed Counihan in bringing the Sam Maguire Cup back to the small parish of Aghada and that connection will forever be special. Kieran O'Connor in action for Aghada in 2013 against Graham Canty of Carbery. Picture: Larry Cummins You knew their parents growing up and having played yourself and seeing the fellas carry on that tradition that was great to see, says Counihan. They brought huge pride to the club. Former Down forward Danny Hughes, who faced OConnor and Cork in the 2010 All-Ireland final, posted on Twitter: Sincere condolences to Cork GAA, Aghada GAA, his family, friends and team-mates. His achievements were wonderful and his family should be very proud. Rest in peace. Ex-Tyrone player Joe McMahon, who would have also lined out against OConnor, tweeted: Very sad news. Thoughts and prayers to the O'Connor family. Rest in peace Kieran. The Gaelic Players Association posted: Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kieran OConnor and all within Aghada and Cork. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. Funeral arrangements, which will be impacted by coronavirus restrictions, are expected to be confirmed on Thursday. Washington President Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff Wednesday amid sinking poll numbers, replacing campaign manager Brad Parscale with veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien. Trump and Parscale's relationship had been strained since a Tulsa, Okla., rally last month that drew an unexpectedly low crowd, infuriating the president. Trump has been struggling in his reelection campaign against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as the country faces health and economic crises during a pandemic that has killed more than 135,000 Americans. Trump announced the move on Facebook late Wednesday. "I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager," he said. "Brad Parscale, who has been with me for a very long time and has led our tremendous digital and data strategies, will remain in that role, while being a Senior Advisor to the campaign." The shakeup injected familiar turmoil to Trump's 2020 campaign, which had so far largely avoided the regular staff churn that dominated the president's 2016 campaign and his White House. But the staff change was not expected to alter the day-to-day running of the campaign. Parscale, a political novice, ran Trump's digital advertising in 2016 and was credited with helping bring about his surprise victory that year. Parscale had been increasingly sidelined in the weeks since the Tulsa rally and as the president's public and private poll numbers have taken a hit. WESTPORT The Westport-Weston Health District is urging residents to be cautious in light of possible scammers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers. The imposters/scammers claimed to work on behalf of the sheriffs office or the local heal department and needed to load contact tracing onto the victims computer, the health district said in a statement. Do not fall victim to these scammers. Official contact tracers working on behalf of the health district or the state Department of Public Health will never ask to enter a residents home, threaten them with a fine, or ask for personal financial information, it said. Anyone asking for such information is trying to do harm or steal your identity, money, or both, the health district said. Should such a person come to your home and request entrance, please call the police department immediately. The health district said residents should never pay a contact tracer, give out their social security number nor financial information. Residents should not share immigration status as legitimate contract tracers do not need and will not ask for this information, it said. The health district said it is important to note contract tracing is an important component of public health. If you agree to participate, you may elect to receive daily health assessment reminders via text, email, or phone, the health district said. You will be reminded to do a simple assessment of your symptoms each day. The information collected will help to slow the spread of the virus in local communities, it said. It is important to note that all information collected is kept strictly confidential, the health district said. Contacts who are identified will not be given information on cases. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Korea ramps up efforts to rebuild cultural heritage By Kwon Mee-yoo Earlier this month, a rare and intricate mother-of-pearl lacquerware box from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) was returned to Korea from a private collector in Japan. The return is one of the achievements of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF), an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration established in 2012 with the aim of discovering and retrieving Korean artifacts from abroad. The lacquerware box is one of the OKCHF's successes, following the return of a "dallyeong," a wedding robe, from the St. Ottilien Archabbey in Germany in February. According to the foundation, it had located over 193,000 Korean cultural properties in 21 countries as of April 1. Forty-two percent, or 81,889 artifacts, are in Japan, followed by the U.S. (27.5 percent), China (6.7 percent) Germany (6.3 percent) and the U.K. (4 percent). "Not all Korean cultural assets overseas are taken out illegally. Some were gifts or exported at the time of production. We try to recover those that have been smuggled out or ones that were looted and purchase those of high historical or artistic value so they can be preserved here in Korea and research can be carried out on them," an official of the OKCHF said. The foundation uses a variety of methods including purchases, donations, negotiations and legal proceedings. "The process varies for individual cases. In general, we research the object thoroughly, including its provenance. We also investigate the actual object to appraise its authenticity and value," the official said. "As not all of the cultural assets overseas are bound to be recovered, we put much effort into determining the appropriateness of the return by consulting experts." Previously, the foundation mostly purchased artifacts from auctions, but expanded their endeavors to locate those not up for auction. The recently acquired lacquerware box from the private collector is an example. "To find more Korean cultural properties abroad, we plan to put up a purchase announcement and buy those that we are able to," the official said. The foundation said it was important to secure a budget to retrieve important cultural assets at the right time. Approximately 5.7 billion won ($4.7 million) has been allocated for the foundation to retrieve properties this year. "Valuable cultural properties could be pricey and we cannot predict when an important artifact pops up on the market. The government's budget is planned in a yearly manner and we cannot respond flexibly when a valuable artwork or sculpture comes up for sale," the official said. "If private companies which are interested in cultural value were to make donations, it would be a great help." For those that cannot be returned to Korea, the foundation supports their restoration and preservation so they can be properly acknowledged and used to promote Korean culture. Park Chi-sun, an expert in art conservation and a cultural heritage professor at Yong In University, collaborates with the foundation in restoring overseas cultural assets. The conservator tries to restore Korean paintings to their original style, as they have often been altered to reflect Chinese or Japanese styles due to lack of appreciation of Korean art and culture at the time. "Whether a figure in a painting is wearing Korean hanbok or Japanese kimono could change the whole image. There are only a few people who specialize in Korean culture at overseas museums and institutions, so many Korean artifacts were repaired by other Asian art experts, and they are sometimes distorted during the restoration process," Park said. "Even in Korea, many cultural assets were altered under Japanese colonial rule, making it difficult to find its original shape. So I spent much time researching the original state of Joseon paintings." Park pointed out that some Korean cultural properties overseas could promote a prestigious image of Korea where thay are. Park mentioned the case of the "Yeongsanhoesangdo" (Preaching Sakyamuni Buddha), which was returned from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in June. The late Joseon era Buddhist painting, originally housed in the Sinheung Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, was presumed to have been looted by American soldiers right after the 1950-53 Korean War. Park is the person who restored the painting which had been cut into six pieces. "The LACMA has many Korean artifacts in their collection and wants them to be restored and conserved in the Korean way. That's why they invited me to research and preserve their Korean paintings," Park said. "Yeongsanhoesangdo is the largest Korean Buddhist painting in the U.S. When I repaired and restored it back in 2010, the LACMA emptied a gallery to make enough room for the preservation process and visitors could see the process. I think it had a great publicity effect both for Korean culture and cultural heritage restoration." Park said staying overseas could benefit the object and Korea's all important and unrelenting quest for recognition of its very existence, in some cases. "It could be the sole Korean cultural heritage item the institution might have. It could be properly preserved and researched there and lead to a possible exhibition on Korean culture. However, if it is returned to Korea, it is just one of many and mostly stays in museum storage spaces after one celebratory display upon its return," he noted. "We are biased toward patriotism regarding the return of Korean cultural heritage items from overseas. If it was stolen or illegally taken out, it should be returned, but if not, it could stay abroad and promote Korean culture there. It is important for the cultural asset to pull its own weight, whether in Korea or not." Park suggested transferring the ownership of items to Korea with overseas institutions exhibiting them on loan as a solution. "When exhibiting overseas, it is difficult to take high quality cultural assets out of Korea. If there is a well-preserved Korean artifact abroad, it could draw interest in Korea and its culture," he said. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V / ASX: EMN) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to announce it has increased its previously announced private placement (the "Offering") to 66,202,210 common shares (each a "Share") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$4.04 million (A$4.27 million). As previously announced, net proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to further progress its Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic (the "Project"), including advancing the feasibility study and Environmental Impact Assessment, and for other general corporate purposes. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company now intends to issue 11,979,682 Shares and 54,222,528 CHESS Depositary Interests ("CDIs", with each CDI representing one Share), at a price of C$0.061 per Share or A$0.065 per CDI. The Offering will close in two tranches. The first tranche, which closed on July 9, 2020, comprised 5,155,738 Shares and 16,344,262 CDIs. The second tranche will now consist of the issuance of 6,823,944 Shares and 37,878,266 CDIs for aggregate gross proceeds of C$2.73 million, such tranche being subject to shareholder approval under the rules of the Australian Securities Exchange ("ASX") to be sought at a meeting of shareholders to be held by the Company in August 2020. Fees payable in connection with the Offering remain the same as previously announced. While CDIs issued pursuant to the Offering will be free-trading, the Shares issued will be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period. The Offering remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). Securities to be issued under the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. Persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Euro Manganese: Euro Manganese Inc. is a Canadian mineral resource company focused on the development of the Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic. The Project will recycle historic mine tailings that host Europe's largest manganese deposit and result in an environmental remediation of this site. The European Union is emerging as a major electric vehicle manufacturing hub. EMN's goal is to become the preferred supplier of sustainably-produced ultra-high-purity manganese products for the lithium-ion battery industry and for producers of specialty steel, high-technology chemicals and aluminum alloys. Authorized for release by the CEO of Euro Manganese Inc. Contact: Euro Manganese Inc. Marco A. Romero Fausto Taddei President & CEO VP Corporate Development & Corporate Secretary +604-681-1010 ext. 101 +604-681-1010 ext. 105 E-mail: info@mn25.ca Website: www.mn25.ca Company address: 1500 - 1040 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6E 4H8 Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, the Project, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking information or statements relate to future events or future performance about the Company and its business and operations, which include, among other things, statements with respect to the continued development of the Project, statements with respect to the partner selection process, its corporate strategy moving forward, any transactions arising from the process, the completion of the second tranche of Offering, the anticipated closing date of the second tranche of the Offering, receipt of TSXV, ASX and shareholder approvals for the Offering, the holding of the shareholders meeting and the use of proceeds of the Offering. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risks Notice" and elsewhere in the Company's MD&A for the year ended September 30, 2019 and its most recent Annual Information Form. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), or the ASX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. A hacker has put the information of more than 142 million MGM hotel guests up for sale on a cybercrime marketplace. MGM Resorts suffered a data breach in summer 2019, but the breach wasnt reported until February when roughly 10.6 million guests data were available for download on a hacking forum. According to ZDNet, an MGM spokesperson said most of the data included contact information, such as names, addresses, and emails; birth dates and phone numbers were also included. Financial information, Social Security numbers and IDs were not compromised. The hacker claims to have obtained the hotels data after they breached Data Viper, a data leak monitoring service operated by Night Lion Security, ZDNet reported. Data Viper advertises itself as a threat actor intelligence research & brand monitoring platform for investigators and law enforcement. A separate report from KrebsOnSecurity Monday revealed that Data Viper, which provides access to roughly 15 billion usernames, passwords, and other information exposed in more than 8,000 website breaches, had been hacked and its user database posted online. Krebs reported that while some of Data Vipers data is from publicly-disclosed breaches, it also collects private and undisclosed breach data. European Council President Charles Michel speaks during a news conference in Brussels on July 15, 2020, after a virtual summit with the Indian Prime Minister.(YVES HERMAN / POOL / AFP) Europe has been thrust into its biggest recession in history and European Council head Michel is seeking the green light to launch a 750-billion-euro recovery fund to help governments weather the crisis. "Now is the time. A deal is essential," he said Wednesday in a letter to the 27 leaders of the EU member states. "We will need to find workable solutions and come to an agreement, for the greater benefit of our citizens. Finding agreement will require hard work and political will on the part of all," he added. This will be the first in-person summit since the pandemic engulfed Europe in March and leaders will also seek approval of the bloc's long-term budget. Last week Michel unveiled his latest proposal for the 750-billion-euro fund in the hope of winning over the more frugal member states. The fund would include 500 billion euros of direct grants to the hardest-hit countries, financed by joint borrowing backed by all EU members. But countries including the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden are resisting the plan, saying the money should be advanced as loans with tough conditions attached, such as deep economic reforms to cut debt. As a sweetener for the so-called "Frugal Four", Michel has proposed revising the EU's seven-year budget down to 1.074 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion), 13 billion euros less than an earlier proposal. Michel also said last week that countries with long-held rebates on their European contributions would continue to get them, despite a big push to do away with these discounts. The negotiations at the two-day EU summit promise to be lengthy and difficult. Some are expecting the talks to extend into a third day and perhaps a later summit. John Adams correctly observed that representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty. A recent op-ed criticized the efforts of the judiciary in resuming the summoning of citizens for jury service, which has been on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I personally visited the temporary jury assembly facility at the NRG Arena to see how the district courts are actually conducting proceedings. What I found was an extremely efficient, safe facility and process. The district courts began work in March on a plan for resuming grand and petit juries. A new facility was needed, since the current Harris County Jury Assembly Plaza remains out of commission from Hurricane Harvey damage. After a thorough investigation, the district courts found an appropriate space for grand jury calls at the NRG Arena. These plans have also been reviewed by Harris County Public Health, Harris County Constable Precinct 1, County Engineering, the Harris County District Clerk and the Harris County Judge, among others. Right now, the district courts are focusing on jurors for five new grand juries because the extended terms of the pre-COVID-19 grand juries expire soon. Prospective jurors are receiving summons that include information and instructions on how to notify the district clerk of any health or medical concerns. Jurors without such issues receive a second notice, identifying when they are to appear at the NRG Arena. The summons dates and times are staggered, reducing congestion. Upon receipt of that second notice, summoned jurors have a second opportunity to notify the district clerk of any new health or medical concerns. Jurors arriving at the NRG Arena have their temperatures checked before entering the building. Inside, the security line is clearly delineated with ropes and spacing markers on the floor. Every person entering the building must wear a mask. All rooms and activities at NRG Arena are on the first floor, so there is no need to use an elevator. Jurors are then directed to a large jury assembly room, where seats are carefully marked. There are at least three seats between jurors and the person to their immediate left or right. The rows in front and behind seated jurors are also empty and roped off. Jurors are eventually assigned to a smaller voir dire room, which also has many seats between jurors and empty, roped-off rows in front and behind. All jurors are given a new face shield to use and keep afterwards. The court and its staff are spaced apart at distances exceeding 6 feet and also wear face shields and masks. At the end of the day, jurors are discharged one row at a time to reduce congestion. Cleaning is rigorous. I observed teams of janitors cleaning all areas of the facility. The arena also has many hand sanitizer stations. Summoned jurors who prefer not to come to NRG Arena are also given the option to participate with Zoom hearings. On the day that I attended, approximately half of the people were qualified through that process. It is unclear when juries will be assembled for actual criminal or civil jury trials. Under the Texas Supreme Courts most recent order, jury trials are on hold until Sept. 1, unless there is special authorization. The idea suggested in the editorial, that the district courts are off to the races with jury trials, is not accurate. However, the district courts are likely to resume jury trials at some point during the year, and plans are currently under discussion for how that can be done safely. The district courts are considering ideas such as using face shields and clear plastic partitions, and flipping the court around so that jurors will sit in the gallery where there is more space for distancing. The courts may pick specific courtrooms in easily accessible locations for these trials and use empty courtrooms for jury deliberations, again so that distancing can be observed. Meanwhile, most district courts are using Zoom technologies for remote hearings and other conferences. Many district courts also have set up YouTube channels where these Zoom proceedings can be observed by the public. Rather than being condemned, our district court judges and staff deserve appreciation for working hard and creatively to restore our fundamental rights to a jury as quickly and safely as possible. Kroger is the president of the Houston Bar Association and a partner at Baker Botts L.L.P. This March photo shows a subject receiving a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine by Moderna for COVID-19. Read more Russia is hacking virus vaccine trials, US, UK, Canada say WASHINGTON (AP) Western governments accused hackers believed to be part of Russian intelligence of trying to steal valuable private information about a coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, calling out the Kremlin in an unusually detailed public warning to scientists and medical companies. The alleged culprit is a familiar foe. Intelligence agencies in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada alleged that the hacking group APT29, also known as Cozy Bear and blamed for American election interference four years ago, is attacking academic and pharmaceutical research institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccine development. It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen. But British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "It is completely unacceptable that the Russian Intelligence Services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic." He accused Moscow of pursuing "selfish interests with reckless behavior." Sticking to more general language, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, "We worked very closely with our allies to ensure that we would take measures to keep that information safe and we continue do so so." The allegation that hackers linked to a foreign government are attempting to siphon secret medical research during the pandemic is not entirely new. U.S. officials as recently as Thursday have accused China of virtually identical conduct. But the latest public warning was startling for the detail it provided, attributing the targeting by name to a particular hacking group and specifying the software vulnerabilities the hackers have been exploiting. Also, Russian cyberattacks strike a particular nerve in the U.S. given the Kremlin's sophisticated campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election. The coordination of the new warning across continents seemed designed to add heft and gravity to the announcement and to prompt the Western targets of the hackers to protect themselves. "I think (the governments) have very specific intelligence that they can provide," said John Hultquist, senior director of analysis at Mandiant Threat Intelligence. "The report is full of specific operational information that defenders can use" to protect their networks. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, rejected the accusations, saying: "We don't have information about who may have hacked pharmaceutical companies and research centers in Britain." "We may say one thing: Russia has nothing to do with those attempts," Peskov said, according to the state news agency Tass. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency warned in April that cybercriminals and other groups were targeting COVID-19 research, noting at the time that the increase in people teleworking because of the pandemic had created potential avenues for hackers to exploit. The persistent attacks are seen as an effort to steal intellectual property rather than to disrupt research. Individuals' confidential information is not believed to have been compromised. The accusations come at a tenuous time for relations between Russia and both the U.S. and U.K. Besides political ill will, especially among Democrats, about the 2016 election interference, the Trump administration is under pressure to confront Russia over intelligence information that Moscow offered bounties to Taliban fighters to attack allied fighters. The Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said that "it's clear that Russia's malign cyber operations and other destabilizing activities from financial and other material support to non-state actors in Afghanistan to poisoning dissidents in democratic countries have persisted, even when exposed." He urged President Donald Trump to condemn such activities. Relations between Russia and the U.K. have plummeted since former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a Soviet-made nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury in 2018, though they later recovered. Britain blamed Moscow for the attack, which triggered a round of retaliatory diplomatic expulsions between Russia and Western countries. More broadly, Thursday's warning announcement speaks to the vulnerability created by the pandemic and the global race for a vaccine. Profit-motivated criminals have exploited the situation and so have foreign governments "who also have their own urgent demands for information about the pandemic and about things like vaccine research," Tonya Ugoretz, an FBI deputy assistant director, said at a cybersecurity conference last month. "Some of them are using their cyber capabilities to, for example, attempt to break into the networks of those who are conducting this research as well as into nongovernmental organizations to satisfy their own information needs," Ugoretz said. The alert did not name the targeted organizations themselves or say how many were affected. But it did say they were in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Britain's NCSC said its assessment was shared by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Security Agency, and by the Canadian Communication Security Establishment. The vaccine assessment came two years to the day after Trump met with Putin in Helsinki and appeared to side with Moscow over U.S. intelligence agencies about the 2016 election interference. The U.K. statement did not say whether Putin knew about the vaccine research hacking, but British officials believe such intelligence would be highly prized. A 16-page advisory prepared by Western agencies and made public Thursday accuses the hacking group tied to Russian intelligence services and known colloquially as Cozy Bear of using custom malicious software to target a number of organizations globally. The malware, called WellMess and WellMail, has not previously been associated with the group, the advisory said. "In recent attacks targeting COVID-19 vaccine research and development, the group conducted basic vulnerability scanning against specific external IP addresses owned by the organizations. The group then deployed public exploits against the vulnerable services identified," the advisory said. Cozy Bear is one of two hacking groups suspected of separate break-ins of computer networks of the Democratic National Committee before the 2016 U.S. election. Stolen emails were then published by WikiLeaks in what U.S. intelligence authorities say was an effort to aid Trump's campaign over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. A report on Russian election interference by former special counsel Robert Mueller called out another group, Fancy Bear, in the hack-and-leak operation. Cozy Bear, though, operates "quietly gaining access and gathering intelligence," said Hultquist of the Mandiant cybersecurity firm. "Their job is good, old-fashioned espionage," he said. Separately, Thursday, Britain accused "Russian actors" of trying to interfere in December's U.K. national election by circulating leaked or stolen documents online. Unlike in the vaccine report, the U.K. did not allege that the Russian government was involved in the political meddling. Lawless and Kirka reported from London. Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Jonathan Lemire and Ben Fox in Washington contributed. Contributed photo / Dreamstime CLINTON Mark Felner, 31, of Clinton, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to one count of receipt of child pornography stemming from his interactions with an underage victim in 2015 and 2016, according to a news release from John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. Court documents and statements made in court show that, on multiple occasions in 2015, Felner, 26 at the time, traveled from Connecticut to North Carolina to engage in illegal sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. In 2015 and 2016, when Felner and the minor victim were not physically together, the victim, at Felners instruction, sent pornographic images of herself through social media messaging services, Durham said. The court did not overturn a lower courts halt on voters convicted of felonies who had not paid off related fees. The United States Supreme Court has declined to overturn a temporary halt by a federal court that prevents Florida residents convicted of felonies from voting if they have not paid off all fines and fees related to their case. Thursdays decision further delays a resolution of the issue, which voting rights advocates say could threaten some voters ability to go to the polls in the November 3 national elections. The US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit will hold a hearing on the case on August 18, the day of Floridas primary, according to the Washington Post. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan dissented from the Supreme Courts decision not to lift the temporary halt. This courts order prevents thousands of otherwise eligible voters from participating in Floridas primary election simply because they are poor, Sotomayor wrote, adding that the lower courts decision continues a trend of condoning disenfranchisement. Pay-to-vote system Under US law, states, not the federal government, can decide if those convicted of felonies can vote and what stipulations apply to them. Those convicted of felonies in Florida, except for those convicted of sexual offences and murder, had been granted the right to vote in an amendment to the states constitution passed in 2018. However, Governor Ron DeSantis, signing into law a bill that instated the amendment, also included a measure that required convicts to pay off all fines and fees related to their case and sentence before they can vote. Before DeSantis and state officials appealed, federal Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in May that that measure was unconstitutional, saying it created a pay-to-vote system by requiring convicted individuals to pay court fees, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Hinkle also ruled that it was unconstitutional for a person who cannot afford to pay fines or restitution to be prevented from voting. Higher Education Fair to go ahead An annual event to help sixth form students learn more about life after school will go ahead thanks to support from local students. The Higher Education Fair is normally attended by representatives from more than 70 universities and colleges, but this year that is not possible due to border restrictions. Instead, 50 Manx student delegates have volunteered to man the stalls. Francesca Warren, a former King Williams College student, and Caitlin Allinson formerly of Ramsey Grammar School set up the social media site Manx Uni-Verse to help connect current and prospective students and provide information and peer support. Caitlin said: It is an opportunity for students to get honest and authentic opinions from our amazing Manx Uni-verse student representatives, which will hopefully help Year 12s finalise their UCAS decisions. We are really grateful to Richard Karran, Gill Kirk, Adrienne Burnett and the Ballakermeen team for being so encouraging in organising this event. Francesca added: We set up Manx Uni-Verse to help year 12 students make the most informed decisions they can about university. Having a physical fair is a fantastic opportunity for everyone looking at going to university, and we could not have done it without the incredible support of the Department for Education, Sport and Culture. Students looking to stay on the Island will also be able to learn about the courses available at University College Isle of Man, as well as local training schemes and work opportunities at at Ballakermeen High School next Thursday. A time slot has been allocated to each secondary school with additional lunch time slot for parents. The fair will be held from 9.30am-1pm in the Sixth Form Centre at Ballakermeen High School. BOOK OF THE WEEK Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces by Laura Tunbridge (Viking 16.99, 288 pp) What would Beethoven have made of the fact that the global celebrations of the 250th anniversary of his birth were kiboshed by a nasty microscopic virus from the East? Well, judging by this elegant little study, he would have shaken his fist at the injustice of it all and the lack of some massive and always much-needed royalties before pouring himself a glass of wine and smiling at the joke of it. You dont have to be a music scholar to enjoy this brilliant, and pleasingly concise, book. But, if you dont love Beethoven, both the man and his music, when you start, you should by the time you finish. Its not a conventional biography: Laura Tunbridge, an eminent professor of music at Oxford, has taken nine pieces of music and uses each one to illustrate a key theme of his life from Heroism (the No 3 Eroica symphony of course), to Liberty (the opera Fidelio), and Spirit (the mighty Missa Solemnis). Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces by Laura Tunbridge, a professor of music at Oxford, sees the author take nine pieces of music and uses each one to illustrate a key theme of Beethoven's (pictured in a portrait) life Around those themes, she fills in the story of his life, his family and friends, the history of the age, even developments in instrument making. If it means anything, I had to listen to each of the pieces while reading that chapter its that kind of book. We think of Beethoven as the grumpy, irascible, romantic genius who, by the time he died, was the most famous composer in the world. And, of course, tragically, heart-breakingly deaf; a man who had to be turned round so he could see the audience applauding wildly at the premiere of the Ode to Joy, the Ninth Symphony. Irascible yes, and argumentative: shortly after the premiere of the Kreutzer sonata in 1803, written for his friend, the brilliant Afro-European violinist George Bridgetower, the pair went out to celebrate in Vienna with a few drinks. It seems they fell out in a fight over a woman who the composer had his eye on. But they made up, as friends do. And the composer had many friends. Grumpy? Thats not so certain: hes thought of as permanently scowling because most portraits are based on a famous life mask by a sculptor called Franz Klein, who covered the composers face in oil and then plaster, which when dried would give the mould. Around those themes, Ms Tunbridge (above is her book) fills in the story of his life, his family and friends, the history of the age, even developments in instrument making It sounds a ghastly experience and Beethoven had to breathe through straws in his nostrils. No wonder he looks grumpy, as anyone who has had a Covid test would agree. He loved his coffee, too, never starting a day without making a special mug of his own carefully counting out 60 coffee beans. It was expensive and the equipment didnt come cheap. Then down to work, and how he needed that coffee. His output was prodigious and he premiered two symphonies, the Fifth and the Sixth, and the fourth piano concerto in one concert. Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, and, at the age of 11, was already a musical prodigy. But it is Vienna, the musical capital of the world and home of Mozart and Haydn, where he really made his name. As someone once remarked, it was the Austrians great skill to persuade the world that Hitler was German and Beethoven Austrian, rather than the other way round. So here is Beethoven in his early 20s in Vienna, a vibrant city of palaces and princes, peers and patronage. A musician couldnt ply his trade without some nobleman supporting him. Beethoven could play the field as well as the next man. Like any hard-working musician, always in Prof Tunbridges words strapped for cash, he knew that his celebrity and genius would embellish the reputation of anyone. For the young Beethoven, Europe at this time was a swirling mass of revolutionary and radical fervour. The French Revolution was not so long ago, and the Napoleonic wars were sweeping across the continent. The mystery of the Immortal Beloved, the woman who was the subject of Beethoven's (above) famously passionate and unsent letter, has beguiled the world for nearly 200 years. The letter was discovered only after his death, and its not known when he wrote it Viennas hospitals were full of injured soldiers from the Austrian and Russian armies. Ms Tunbridge brilliantly explores the relationship between the revolutionary music of the Eroica Symphony (No 3) and the revolutionary flavour of the times. He was fascinated by Napoleon and saw himself as the musical equivalent, both titans of their age. He was initially determined to dedicate the Eroica to Napoleon but, when the little Frenchman was crowned emperor in 1804, Beethoven declared Now he will trample on all the rights of man... And he tore up the dedication page. Anyway, as Prof Tunbridge suggests, the real hero of the Eroica was Beethoven himself. In a long letter to his brothers, only discovered after his death, he explains why he might seem malevolent, stubborn or misanthropic. He was losing his hearing. The year was 1802 and its painful to read now: My misfortune is doubly painful to me because I am bound to be misunderstood . . . I must live almost alone like an exile. Only his art kept him going. He was a bachelor all his life though very fond of female company finding a wife was tricky: he was always falling for married women, and, says Ms Tunbridge, had to frequent the citys many brothels so the mystery of the Immortal Beloved, the woman who was the subject of his famously passionate and unsent letter, has beguiled the world for nearly 200 years. The letter was discovered only after his death, and its not known when he wrote it. It was even the subject of a powerful film, Immortal Beloved, with Gary Oldman (pictured above) as Beethoven It was even the subject of a powerful film, Immortal Beloved, with Gary Oldman as Beethoven. But who was she? My thoughts rush to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then again sadly . . . To face life I must live with you or not at all . . . And much more in that vein, breathless and overwrought. Prof Tunbridge runs her eye over the field without coming to any conclusion. The fact that there were so many candidates shows Beethoven was popular in more ways than one. But some puzzles are best left unsolved. And, in the end, it is the music that encompasses us all, from the surging, enveloping richness of the middle period, to the more spare, thoroughly modern late chamber pieces. It is music that doesnt belong in a court or a palace; its about real life and the real world, whether you are listening in the concert hall or whistling the tunes as you walk. You dont need to be musical to understand Beethoven, to feel the majesty, the greatness, the universality: whatever you do, wherever you are, you will be stirred by his overwhelming stream of sound. His last words were typical, expressing disappointment that the wine he had hoped for had only just arrived: Pity, pity, too late. He then fell into a coma for two days before a violent snowstorm erupted. Beethoven briefly opened his eyes, and clenched his fist, defiant to the end. So, how pleasing it is that, at a time when statues are the preferred currency of angry minorities baying for blood, Beethovens birthplace chose to mark the anniversary this way: in an installation called Ode to Joy, 700 waist-high, brightly coloured statues of the composer were installed around the Beethoven monument in the centre of Bonn. The man himself would have loved the projects success not least because there was a huge rush to buy one, and Beethoven was always aware of the need to make a buck. More importantly, perhaps, as Ms Tunbridge points out at the conclusion of her dazzling book, this Beethoven wasnt scowling: all the statues were smiling. The founder and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the 56th Munich Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, on February 15, 2020. A top European court ruled Thursday that companies moving personal user data from the EU to other jurisdictions will have to provide the same protections given inside the bloc. The ruling could impact how companies transfer European users' data to the United States and other countries, such as the U.K. The legal battle started back in 2013, when privacy activist Max Schrems lodged a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. He argued that, in light of the Edward Snowden revelations, U.S. law did not offer sufficient protection against surveillance by public authorities. Schrems raised the complaint against the social network Facebook which, like many other firms, was transferring his and other user data to the States. It reached the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which in 2015 ruled that the then Safe Harbour Agreement, which allowed European users' data to be moved to the U.S., was not valid and did not adequately protect European citizens. As a result, companies operating in Europe switched to Standard Contractual Clauses or SCCs, which ensured they could still move data across the Atlantic. In the meantime, the European Union and the United States developed a new agreement, the Privacy Shield framework, to replace the Safe Harbour agreement. The ECJ ruled Thursday that these SCCs were a valid way to transfer data, but invalidated the use of the Privacy Shield framework. In practical terms, this means that non-EU countries, or companies looking to move European users' data abroad, will have to ensure an equivalent level of protection to the strict European data laws. This could be a massive burden for multinationals, given they transfer huge sets of data all over the world. "Regarding the level of protection required in respect of such a transfer, the Court holds that the requirements laid down for such purposes by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) concerning appropriate safeguards, enforceable rights and effective legal remedies must be interpreted as meaning that data subjects whose personal data are transferred to a third country pursuant to standard data protection clauses must be afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU by the GDPR," the court said Thursday. GDPR regulation, introduced in 2018, has allowed European users to have a stronger say over how companies use their information. The court ruled 5-4 that much of eastern Oklahoma remains legally Indian Territory for purposes of enforcement of the Major Crimes Act against defendants who are Native American and are accused of committing crimes within that region. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Oklahoma previously released information indicating the federal government also has authority to prosecute defendants, even if they are not enrolled in a tribe, under the General Crimes Act if there is evidence showing the reported victims are Native American. Smith referenced that statute in his dismissal motion and pointed out Okmulgee County is within the Creek Nations boundaries. Court minutes do not yet show a judge has set a hearing date on Smiths motion, but federal and state authorities have expressed the desire to quickly identify criminal cases that could be impacted by the ruling in McGirts case so they can be transferred to the correct court system if needed. The U.S. Attorneys Office in Muskogee did not wish to discuss the situation, nor would the agency confirm Wednesday evening whether it was in the process of doing its own work on Halls case. Sherell Robinson posed for portrait with her two month old daughter Illiyin Robinson, near her home in Philadelphia, Pa. Robinson has been getting treatment for postpartum depression over the past two months. Read more Pregnancy was not the dreamy nine months that Sherell Robinson had hoped for. Shortly after finding out she was expecting last October, the South Philadelphia woman quit her teaching job because of an underlying heart condition and, by the end of the year, she was getting divorced. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, adding a plethora of new worries about a novel virus with unknown effects on pregnancy. Robinson pushed through the dark moments by focusing on the future she would build for her baby and 11-year-old daughter, starting classes for a new career as a paralegal. When the baby was born May 19, Robinson named her Illiyin, an Arabic reference to the most supreme part of heaven. But in the weeks that followed, the virus kept raging and with a colicky newborn to care for, Robinson was more anxious than ever about exposure for her family. I envisioned Id be the savior for my kids and I, get back to work and be able to pick up where we left off and that is not the case, said Robinson, 33. I feel like Im drowning, trying to hold both of my kids up. Anxiety and depression before, during and after pregnancy a range of conditions known as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are common, thanks to the long list of physical and emotional changes, plus waves of hormones. The most well-known of these, postpartum depression, affects about 1 in 5 people who give birth and is even more common among Black women including Robinson. And its on the rise, shooting up 30% between 2015 and 2018, according to a new maternal-health study by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Thats without a pandemic. Now, maternity-care providers are worried about a surge in perinatal mood disorders sparked by the virus unknown health risks, fear of giving birth in a hospital treating COVID-19 patients, the stress of caring for a newborn without help, and social isolation that has canceled baby showers and kept partners out of prenatal appointments. READ MORE: Silenced by fear: New moms worry admitting to postpartum depression could mean losing their children Its not a world you want to bring a newborn baby into, said Kiera Masterpasqua, a nurse at Lifecycle WomanCare, a birth center in Bryn Mawr. Maternity care providers are particularly concerned about Black patients, who are already at greater risk of childbirth complications and perinatal mood disorders, and now are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 all largely due to systemic racism in society, and the health-care system specifically. The pandemic has put this additional stress on people, especially Black women, because we know there are racial disparities around COVID, said Jabina Coleman, a social worker and reproductive psychotherapist in Philadelphia. I cant imagine if women were not being listened to before COVID, with all the additional barriers from COVID, what else is being missed. Postpartum depression rising The troubling rise in postpartum depression identified in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association report can be partly explained by high rates of preexisting health conditions including mental-health conditions that put pregnant women at greater risk of developing a perinatal mood disorder, said Ginny Calega, vice president of medical affairs for Independence Blue Cross. About 85% of births during the study period were among millennials, with an average age of 31, according to the report, which analyzed claims data from 1.4 million births between 2015 and 2018. Previous reports by the insurer have found that millennials are on average sicker, with higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and behavioral health disorders than older generations at their age. Whats more, the report found that a third of women in the study group all covered by private health insurance, suggesting they had higher-than-average family incomes received less prenatal care than is recommended, which contributed to higher rates of pregnancy and childbirth complications. The pandemic has made access to care more difficult for some patients who are unable to see their doctor in person or are worried about venturing to a medical office. A quarter of women surveyed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association reported skipping prenatal appointments after social distancing measures were put in place. And Philadelphia-area providers say they are beginning to see an increase in anxiety and depression among pregnant and postpartum patients. Masterpasqua, who screens patients showing signs of a mood disorder, said her call list has tripled since March. The birth center has seen an influx of late-pregnancy transfers women who no longer want to give birth at a hospital but that only partly explains the increase in patients experiencing these mental-health issues, Masterpasqua believes. You already feel stuck and isolated as a new mom without the pandemic and now youre not supposed to leave your house unless you absolutely have to you feel more stuck than you normally would, she said. READ MORE: Moms have trouble finding help for postpartum depression, so its finding them Pandemic adds depression, anxiety triggers Alyssa Paul Maltby, a 33-year-old special-education teacher, didnt look pregnant when she left work and wont be pregnant when school reopens. She said it feels strange to go through such a major life change in isolation, without sharing the experience with her family, friends and coworkers. Its almost felt like a secret pregnancy, said Paul Maltby, who lives in Philadelphia with her husband and 2-year-old daughter, Amelia. Paul Maltby experienced postpartum anxiety after Amelia was born, becoming fixated on whether her daughter was sleeping and gaining enough weight, and ultimately not eating properly herself. She knows this puts her at greater risk of the condition after her son is born in August, and worries about how the pandemic will affect her options for treatment. One of the hard things now is a lot of those strategies I used after she was born getting out of the house, going to a breastfeeding group, just being social Im not going to be able to do that with this baby, she said. Changes to care have also added stress for expectant parents and may trigger more cases of postpartum depression, said Saleemah McNeil, a psychotherapist and owner of Oshun Family Center in Jenkintown. A lot of what I see in postpartum clients is a grief and loss process that does not have anything to do with bringing a baby home. Its the loss of the idea and picture of what your birth was planned to look like for instance, ending up with a C-section when a natural birth was planned, she said. Most hospitals in the Philadelphia area currently allow only one support person in the delivery room, provided they test negative for COVID-19. That can trigger a sense of loss for women who wanted to hire a doula or expected grandparents to visit. The idea of their partner potentially being turned away due to a positive test is anxiety inducing for many women and having to actually do it can be traumatic. Additionally, research shows women with a support person are less likely to experience complications. In addition to creating new anxieties, the pandemic has exacerbated common pregnancy worries, such as financial stability, said Jennifer Jones, a therapist with Maternity Care Coalitions MOMobile program, which provides at-home services. A lot of the referrals during the quarantine have been people who worry about whether theyll have a home to live in, their jobs, being separated from family and friends, Jones said. Health disparities put Black women at greater risk Providers are especially concerned about a potential increase in perinatal mood disorders among Black patients. We know that Black and Brown people are affected more by COVID and a lot of the issues of COVID are the issues of institutionalized racism, such as the effects of unemployment and underemployment, lack of paid sick days, insufficient health insurance and housing insecurity, said Autumn Nelson, a certified nurse midwife at Lifecycle WomanCare in Bryn Mawr. Systemic racism in health care, including unethical medical experiments, has fueled distrust of health-care providers among many Black patients. The father of modern gynecology, James Marion Sims, pioneered surgical techniques by experimenting on enslaved women without the use of anesthesia, under the false belief that Black people dont feel pain. To this day, Black women receive less pain medication during birth and are more likely to die during childbirth than white women, research shows. READ MORE: Time to talk about an unspoken reason black women are likelier to die in childbirth | Opinion Ive had white patients who say, Im having chest or leg pain and [the doctors] say, OK, let me write you a script, said Veronica Briggs, a doula based in Cherry Hill. Meanwhile, concerns reported by her Black patients are often dismissed as normal pregnancy aches and pains, she said. These disparities can create distrust between Black patients and their doctors. Briggs attributes her own case of postpartum depression to feeling unheard by doctors during her two pregnancies. Briggs became a doula to make sure women of color have access to resources that werent available to her namely, a health-care provider with shared racial background. Research shows that patients are more likely to trust a doctor or therapist they believe can relate to their personal experience, yet just 5% of doctors identify as Black or African American, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. That shared experience is more important than ever for women such as Robinson, who said she felt overwhelmed thinking about all the ways she was at risk for the coronavirus: shes Black, has two heart conditions and was pregnant. Heres one thing that makes you at risk, and another, and another and theres nothing you can do about it, she said. I was crying so much, I was tired of crying. Two months after her daughters birth, Robinson said she still struggles with depression and anxiety, but working with a doula and therapist has helped. Shes learned to take one day at a time, let go of harsh self-imposed expectations and, when in doubt, hold tight to her armful of the most supreme part of heaven. GREENWICH A group of protesters made a trip to Greenwich on Wednesday for a drive-through rally to condemn an executive whose company until recently manufactured tear gas and other chemical forms of crowd control. About 50 vehicles and a similar number of protesters affiliated with the Service Employees International Union staged the demonstration on Dairy Lane by honking horns, waving signs and chanting slogans. The protest targeted Warren Kanders, a businessman who recently divested his company of a division that produces tear gas and other chemical agents used by the military and law enforcement. That company, Safariland, also manufactures other equipment for the public safety sector. Kanders did not return a message left at his Stamford office. The parade of vehicles in backcountry Greenwich drew protesters from around the state. SEIU staged an earlier protest in May, stopping at the homes of wealthy Greenwich residents, to highlight what they said are inequities in the health-care system that put working people at risk in the current coronavirus pandemic. That message was also broadcast Wednesday, along with a criticism of law-enforcement tactics such as tear gas, rubber bullets and metal batons that demonstrators said are used disproportionately against minorities, particularly during the recent protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Researchers traced the Safariland company products to riot-control measures in Ferguson, Mo., and elsewhere. Black and brown people are suffering because of these products, said Alicia Strong, a resident of New Britain. In a theatrical gesture, one woman was dressed in a black robe as the grim reaper and carried a black scythe. Demonstrators left a symbolic bill that they said Kanders owed to the public. The large number of cars assembled at a commuter lot in Stamford before making the drive to the home in backcountry Greenwich. Kanders issued the following statement in June: Our safety and survivability products have taken two forms, passive defensive protection such as body armor, bomb suits, and safety holsters. This divestiture removes the active component and allows Safariland to focus on passive defensive protection. As we look to the future, Safariland will continue to support public safety professionals in all lines of service as they risk their lives daily to keep the public safe. First responders - including police, fire, EMT, domestic abuse, and drug and addiction intervention counselors - take immeasurable risk each day when they report to work. Safariland will always support them. Kanders has previously come under criticism for the tear-gas business, and he stepped down from the board of the Whitney Museum in New York City in July 2019 after months of protest. The issue arose after news reports demonstrated that Safarilands tear-gas canisters had been deployed against migrants at the United States-Mexico border and elsewhere during street protests. A patron of the arts, Kanders has donated substantial sums to the Whitney Museum, as well as Brown University in Rhode Island. Protesters also targeted his residence in lower Manhattan earlier this year. Several police units were on the scene of Wednesdays protest. The 15-minute demonstration concluded without any incidents. The SEIU represents a range of service workers, including custodians, nursing-home workers, prison workers and school bus drivers as well as day-care workers. Activists in 2017 also ran buses into Greenwich in a protest they called the Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless tour. The town has often drawn demonstrators and protesters due to its prominent status as a fashionable and wealthy community. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Rail Freight Transport Market is accounted for $294.08 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $414.96 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period. Some of the key factors influencing the market growth include increasing demand for in rail freight route in emerging countries. However, high cost in setting up the medium is restraining market growth. Amongst application, oil and gas segment is expected to grow during the forecast period. The large ability of rail freight wagons to carry goods in bulk make them preferable for the oil and gas sector. Moreover, growth in the consumption and production of primary and secondary energy in emerging countries will also drive the market for the oil and gas industry. By Geography, Asia Pacific is growing in significantly in regions such as India and China due to rising industrialization across the entire country has further increased freight traffic over the last decade. Request For Report sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/12083 Some of the key players profiled in the Rail Freight Transport Market include BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway , Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation, DB Cargo, DHL, Geneese and Wyoming Inc., Indian Railways, Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight), Norfolk Southern Railway, Russian Railways (RZhD), SNCF, Swiss Federal Railway, Union Pacific Railroad and United Parcel Service (UPS) . Service Types Covered: Services Allied to Transportation Transportation Type of Cargos Covered: Non - Containerized Liquid Bulk Containerized Types Covered: Tank Wagons Intermodals Freight Cars Destinations Covered: International Domestic Applications Covered: Chemical Industry Logistic Industry Military Mining Industry Oil and Gas Post Service Other Applications Regions Covered: North America o US o Canada o Mexico Europe o Germany o UK o Italy o France o Spain o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o Japan o China o India o Australia o New Zealand o South Korea o Rest of Asia Pacific South America o Argentina o Brazil o Chile o Rest of South America Middle East & Africa o Saudi Arabia o UAE o Qatar o South Africa o Rest of Middle East & Africa What our report offers: - Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments - Market share analysis of the top industry players - Strategic recommendations for the new entrants - Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub-segments, and the regional markets - Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations) - Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations - Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends - Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments - Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements Free Customization Offerings: All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options: Company Profiling o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3) o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3) Regional Segmentation o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the client's interest (Note: Depends on feasibility check) Competitive Benchmarking o Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances More Info of Impact Covid19 @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/12083 A Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty to charges that he firebombed a child welfare office during a custody dispute has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Philip Finn Jr., of Plains, was sentenced after pleading guilty in October to use of fire to commit stalking, federal prosecutors said. Finn used three Molotov cocktails to firebomb the Children and Youth Services building in Wilkes-Barre in 2017 to harass and intimidate two Children and Youth Employees, according to prosecutors. Finn also used social media and his cellphone to harass the employees, prosecutors said. A federal judge ordered Finn to pay $398,756 in restitution for the fire and water damage to the building. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Pennsylvania Joe Bellino can tell you stories about opioid users and drug abuse. Stories that can shock you, break your heart and, if you are Bellino, prompt you to take action. Taking action paid off this month for Bellino, a Republican state representative from Monroe, when a bill he sponsored to tighten how prescriptions are written won overwhelming approval in the State House and Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The measure requires doctors to send prescriptions through a secure computer system to prevent anyone but a doctor from issuing prescriptions. The law takes effect Nov. 1 and is aimed squarely at the opioid abuse crisis confronting Michigan. A report by the federal Centers for Disease Control said there were 2,033 overdose deaths involving opioids in Michigan in 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Bellino said many opioid abusers use forged prescriptions, which are aimed at being prevented through his plan to reduce the number of prescription errors caused by illegible handwriting and detect inappropriate prescribing of opioids and other medical errors. Studies show that e-prescribing also reduces doctor shopping, the practice of getting narcotic prescriptions from multiple doctors. For Bellino who confronted his own alcohol and cocaine addictions three decades ago the battle against opioid abuse is personal. He said he has sat in enough rehab meetings and counseled enough friends and acquaintances to take the fight to the state Legislature. This is an opportunity to reduce the heartbreaking number of overdose deaths that result from fraudulent prescriptions, said the two-term legislator whose district includes parts of Flat Rock and Rockwood. The lives of our families, friends and neighbors could be on the line if we do nothing to address opioid abuse in Michigan. Thats a price we cant afford to pay. Bellino a swift-talking, third-generation grocer who ran Broadway Market in Monroe for more than 22 years is quick to cite example of how opioid abuse infected his community. We had a pill mill pharmacist who was dispensing the stuff, he said. Then, he adds, there was the time a frantic man came into his grocery and exclaimed that the wind had swept away his prescriptions. I knew where the wind took things in that area, so I walked him over there, Bellino recalls. We found his prescriptions for hundreds of OxyContin. I knew we had a problem. Addressing societys drug problem has been part Bellinos agenda since he was elected to the Legislature in 2016. He tried unsuccessfully to win approval of a bill to require more secure prescription bottles. The bottles that locked were intended to make pill theft, especially by children and teens, more difficult. One thing you learn in Lansing is that it can be difficult to take on the medical and pharmaceutical industries, Bellino said. Bellino said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sought his opinions on drug policy, mindful of how he overcame addiction three decades ago from his drinkin and druggin days. I guess I have street cred, Bellino said. He said he intends to trade on that history and firsthand knowledge to push for additional changes to the how Michigan shapes drug enforcement and related policies. Next up, he said: Examining and revising the states sentencing guidelines for drug offenders to better distinguish between drug dealers and drug users who did something stupid, but arent career drug criminals. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 16 Trend: Photos published online, allegedly showing Armenia shooting down Azerbaijan's UAV was revealed to be fake, Trend reports on July 16. The Armenian side posted photos of the allegedly shot down Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). However as it was revealed, the photos were taken in 2014 in Afghanistan, as is evident from the photo above. As Head of the press office of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry, Colonel Vagif Dargahli earlier said, all UAVs owned by units of the Azerbaijani army are in service, and none of them were shot down. The ministry also sked citizens not to trust unchecked information, not to share it and to follow only the officially disseminated information. New Delhi, July 16 : "A leader is a person who identifies talent and gives people an opportunity to become a mass leader," recalled Congress Spokesperson Ragini Nayak quoting party former Chief Rahul Gandhi from a workshop session after his entrance into politics. She was refuting the claims that young turks were not being given importance and not being promoted in the party. The remarks came amid the second high profile rebellion in the Congress by senior party leader Sachin Pilot last week against the party's leader Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan. Following the rebellion by Pilot, many opposition leaders joined the bandwagon to slam the former Congress chief questioning his leadership and accusing him of sidelining the Gen Next leaders in the grand old party. Speaking to IANS, Nayak, who contested the 2013 Delhi assembly polls unsuccessfully said, "When Rahul Gandhi joined the party he became the in-charge of the frontal organisations. At that time I was the national General Secretary of NSUI. During a workshop he asked the NSUI activists who is a leader, to which many said that a leader is a person who has followers, while someone said that a leader is one who does something new. To this Rahul Gandhi said all this is right, but essentially a leader is a person who gives opportunities to others to become a mass leader," she said. The Congress leader said that he came into politics with a vision to identify and promote the capabilities of young leaders. "The entire allegation that he did not allowed the young leaders to grow in the party is completely baseless," Nayak said. Pointing at the Cabinet of the Congress-led UPA government she said, "In the UPA Cabinet, Rahul Gandhi did not take any post, while Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasad, Milind Deora all were there. If he was against promoting the young turks, then he should not have allowed any one of them to be a Minister in the UPA government," she said, adding that she was also given a chance twice to contest the DUSU elections despite the fact that she lost her first election. Nayak said that after that she was made the chairperson and President of the NSUI, and then the General Secretary of the NSUI. Similarly, she was made a party spokesperson and also made the Foreign Department convenor of the party and was also given the ticket to contest the assembly elections at the age of 30 in 2013. "I was also made star campaigner for the Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections," she said. Similarly, three-time Congress MP Manickam Tagore, who is also the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, told IANS, "I was a General Secretary in Tamil Nadu when Rahul Gandhi was the in-charge for NSUI in 2007. And we were working in the Youth Congress when in 2009 he gave me an opportunity to fight the Lok Sabha elections." Tagore said that there was no recommendation needed for getting the Lok Sabha ticket and it was the work that spoke. "For Rahul Gandhi, whose son you are does not matter. What matters is the hard work for the party," he said. In a message to the rebels in the party, Tagore said, "Congress ideology and commitment is important for the party rather than personal ambitions." "We are all examples as we were not promoted. Go anywhere whether in Parliament or Assembly, or at state or district level, you will find people promoted by him," he said. Tagore said that those who are ambitious, they are attached to the positions and going away from the ideology of the party. Pilot had revolted against Gehlot on Saturday after which he was sacked from the post of Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress chief. In March this year Scindia joined the BJP that led to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. Indian Youth Congress Vice President for Mumbai, Suraj Thakur said, "I come from a middle class family. No one in my family was attached to politics. But I was made the NSUI State President by Rahul Gandhi in 2010-12 and 2012-15." Recalling the incidents from Rahul Gandhi's visit to Mumbai in 2016 during his padyatra from Bandra to Dharavi, Thakur said, "When I thanked him for holding the padyatra, he hugged me at the airport and made me sit by his side in the VIP lounge at the airport where all the senior leaders of the party were sitting." Rahul Gandhi used to take the review meeting of the NSUI every three months and he used to call the NSUI Presidents by their name to explain the work of the party, Thakur added. Thakur said the former Congress chief never bothered about the background of the leaders in the party and helped them whenever in need. "It was his vision that Congress is still holding the elections in the Youth Congress and the NSUI to elect its leaders," he added. (Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in) Portland tech company Puppet is borrowing $40 million and says it is again contemplating an initial public offering. Puppet didnt say how it will spend the money or disclose the terms of the debt, other than to indicate the funds come from investment management firm BlackRock. The Portland company had previously raised at least $128 million in investment, most recently a $42 million round in 2018. Online publication TechCrunch reported that Puppet had borrowed $22 million in 2016. CEO Yvonne Wassenaar said Puppet chose debt over an investment round given the efficiency of the process and to preserve our current equity structure - which is important as we begin to plan and look towards an eventual IPO. Puppets technology helps organizations manage large computer systems or data centers. Its among Portlands largest tech employers, with around 450 workers worldwide. Puppet cut its workforce by close to 10% in March, at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak, anticipating a global economic slowdown. Puppet actively pursued a IPO several years ago but shelved those plans as growth slowed and as the industry shifted to alternative technologies for managing their computing systems. No Oregon company has held a large IPO since 2004. Portland vacation management rental giant Vacasa appeared close last winter, but that companys business has been severely damaged by the coronavirus. Vacasa chose instead to accept $108 million in private investment in June on undisclosed terms. Two Clark County companies have held IPOs in recent years, though. Laser manufacturer nLight went public in 2018 and Vancouver marketing data broker ZoomInfo went public last month in a hugely successful debut. ZoomInfo now has a market capitalization of more than $15 billion. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. WHEN COVID-19 hit in earnest in mid-March, governments and health-care institutions across Canada scrambled to provide doctors, nurses and other front-line workers with gear to protect them from infection. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/7/2020 (552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion WHEN COVID-19 hit in earnest in mid-March, governments and health-care institutions across Canada scrambled to provide doctors, nurses and other front-line workers with gear to protect them from infection. But there was little opportunity, in those anxious and chaotic first weeks of the pandemic, to give thought to the other types of injuries being sustained by front-line workers who were required to attend to an onslaught of very sick patients. First responders have had to make difficult decisions related to life-and-death triage and resource allocation. Some may feel guilty about surviving when others are dying, and many live with fear of becoming infected and infecting their families. These traumatic events and the resulting feelings, if left unattended, can develop into moral injury, a potentially debilitating condition that challenges a persons sense of right and wrong and causes individuals to question their actions and the actions of others. This can leave our front-line workers re-experiencing traumatic situations, feeling guilt, and blaming themselves for COVID-19 consequences. Moral injury is also associated with greater substance use, depression and even suicidal ideation. Now is the time to address this looming crisis in health care. Now is the time to reach out to those on the front lines of the disease to let them know the mental anguish is normal and natural, and that help is available. Its also time to help them realize theyre not alone and that leaders and colleagues in their workplaces are there to support them. First responders have had to make difficult decisions related to life-and-death triage and resource allocation. Some may feel guilty about surviving when others are dying, and many live with fear of becoming infected and infecting their families. In the hope of flattening the curve of moral injury, the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Related Mental Health Conditions has teamed up with the Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health to co-develop a guide called "Moral Stress Amongst Healthcare Workers During Covid-19: A Guide to Moral Injury." It is meant for those who are doing jobs in essential service industries front-line health-care workers, of course, but also anyone whose employment may make them susceptible to the mental challenges of the pandemic. The grocery store clerk who must return home to an elderly parent, the receptionist who must tell patients their cancer operations have been postponed, the floor cleaners in the long-term care facilities all are vulnerable to moral injury. We call them our "heroes." But many say they do not feel heroic as they enter their workplaces for another difficult day of potential exposure and, in the case of health-care workers, of making decisions about treating a disease no one fully understands with therapies that are not yet proven. 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. They must be assured that their fears and anxieties are normal responses to an abnormal situation. They need to have the licence to put up their hands and say they are struggling. They need the space to meaningfully and intentionally process what they are going through. And I use the present tense in discussing the experiences of front-line health-care workers because, even though there is a lull in the number of new cases in Canada, hospitals are still treating people with the disease and doctors and nurses are still very much in the eye of the storm. The obligation to protect them falls on those in charge the supervisors and administrators who may also be suffering moral stresses and dilemmas of their own as a result of sending workers into dangerous situations. Thats why our guide is also for them. It calls for a whole-of-organization approach and open communication. We know that workers who believe their bosses and co-workers understand their challenges have significantly better outcomes. The damage is not inevitable. It is not a fait accompli. It can be mitigated. And now is the time for action. Now is the time that hospitals, clinics, and all health care workplaces and employers can step up to the plate to put the organizational initiatives in place to support our workers and prevent the development of moral injury and/or PTSD as a result of their experiences in these unprecedented times. Patrick Smith is CEO of the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Mental Health Conditions. The Mumbai Police on Thursday warned the people and issued an advisory after several Twitter accounts of eminent personalities including Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Warren Buffet, were hacked in a coordinated cybersecurity attack. The Maharashtra Cyber Police warned that it is possible that hackers could try to gain access to prominent Indian Twitter profiles in a similar fashion. "The hacked twitter profiles tweeted a cryptocurrency scam. However, it is likely that such an incident can be used for malicious intents like spreading fake news and misinformation," it said in a statement. "In times of the pandemic, any such hacking incident can cause widespread rumours and lead to chaos. Citizens should be alert and not blindly trust any tweet. Maharashtra Cyber is being vigilant about the possibility of any such incident happening in the Indian cyberspace since several Indian public personalities use Twitter frequently," the statement further said. "It has asked Twitter to inform us of any such cybersecurity breach incident that might target Indian users and prominent Indian profiles. The Maharashtra Cyber has also asked other social media platforms to be on the lookout for a similar incident, and inform us in case of a cybersecurity breach," added the statement. Precautions to follow for citizens--1) DO NOT blindly trust content posted on social media platforms. Take your time to determine if the content posted is truthful or fake; 2) DO NOT spread or further circulate any posts that seem like fake news or rumours, or promoting hate speech and any kind of violence; 3) DO NOT fall for cryptocurrency scams that are widespread on social media; 4) Follow good cybersecurity practices like using strong passwords, changing passwords frequently, and using 2-factor authentication; 5) Citizens can also report any security problems in their social media accounts to the support centre of the respective social media platform, and 6) Report any suspicious incident to your nearest police station or on www.cybercritne.govin. It said that the compromised accounts had posted cryptocurrency scams, and also phishing links. Since the hack, the Twitter support team has taken control of the situation and has managed to restore the accounts to the original owners. Various prominent handles with millions of followers tweeted a cryptocurrency scam, which asked users to send Bitcoin, and the person tweeting would send back double of the Bitcoin amount to the user. Many twitter users fell prey to the scam. Owing to the scale of the cyberattack, twitter soon disabled some of its features. Normal services were resumed after a couple of hours. Twitter support has found the cause of the attack to be a social engineering attack. They have revealed that some employees having access to Twitter internal tools have had their accounts compromised, which led to the hackers gaining internal control of the prominent twitter handles. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP The city of Berkeley is moving forward with a first-of-its kind proposal to replace police with unarmed civilians during traffic stops in an effort to curb racial profiling. After hours of emotional public testimony, council members in the northern California city approved a reform measure that calls for a committee tasked with police reforms. They include removing the police department from responding to calls involving people experiencing homelessness or mental illness and finding ways to eventually cut the police budget by half. The vote also called for the creation of a separate city department to handle the enforcement of parking and traffic laws. The plan appears to be a landmark move in a US city and comes as many regions across the country are facing growing calls to defund and dismantle police departments in the wake of George Floyds death. Numerous studies have shown Black drivers are much more likely to be stopped by police than white people for minor traffic infractions, with sometimes deadly results. Philando Castile, for example, was fatally shot after the 32-year-old was stopped for a broken tail light in 2016 in Minnesota. And Sandra Bland, 28, died in a jail cell three days after being stopped for failing to signal when changing lanes in Texas in 2015. At the council meeting, after residents shared personal accounts of police violence, Berkeleys mayor, Jesse Arreguin, said he did not expect a new transportation department overnight because conversations will be hard and detailed with complicated logistics to figure out. But he said communities of color in his city feel targeted by police and that needs to change. Related: George Floyd's family sues Minneapolis over police killing There may be situations where police do need to intervene, and so we need to look at all that, he said. We need to look at if we do move traffic enforcement out of the police department, what does that relationship look like and how will police officers work in coordination with unarmed traffic enforcement personnel? Story continues Some progressive Bay Area activists said the move was a step in the right direction, but did not go far enough. The majority of commenters during a nearly nine-hour meeting that ended in the middle of the night had called for a more radical proposal of immediate defunding of the Berkeley police. Veena Dubal, a University of California law professor and former Berkeley police review commissioner, noted that traffic enforcement is one of the most common ways that police interact with community members, which can lead to harmful consequences: Black and Brown men are disproportionately pulled over for minor traffic violations, and thats when we see this escalation That is where you see the violence unfold. Mohamed Shehk, with the abolitionist group Critical Resistance, said he supported the idea of removing police from traffic enforcement, but said it was vital that the alternative department Berkeley creates does not replicate the same problems: We also need to be dismantling the systems of fines and fees that keep communities that are targeted by these policies in poverty. Residents speaking at the council meeting made clear that they wanted something much bolder, he added. Weve seen how incrementalism and cosmetic reforms are not substantial enough to reduce or reverse the enormous amounts of damage, violence, harm and racism that policing has inflicted on communities for decades. It could take months, even years, to create a new department, but police and other law enforcement leaders rebuked the idea. I think what Berkeley is doing is nuts, said Mark Cronin, a director with the Los Angeles Police Protective League, a union for officers. I think its a big social experiment. I think its going to fail. The Berkeley police department said it did not comment on council legislation. But police unions for Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose issued a statement opposing the proposal. Arreguin, the mayor, said creating a new department was a phase-two development that was at least a year away and would probably involve making changes to state law. Agencies contributed reporting This month marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. It was a historic step, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, one that first required us to face the dark legacy of war between our two nations. In the 1980s, the U.S. and Vietnam worked to overcome the devastation of war through the repatriation of the remains of American soldiers in Vietnam. This led to better ties and the formal re-establishment of relations in 1995. Since then, said Secretary Pompeo, weve built a friendship on common interests, mutual respect, and bold resolve to overcome the past and look toward the future. The United States has contributed significantly to Vietnams remarkable economic growth. In the past two decades, bilateral trade has grown an incredible 7,000 percent. Indeed, American companies are helping by pouring billions of dollars in investment into the country. Vietnam is now one of the fastest growing economies in South East Asia, lifting millions out of poverty. The United States and Vietnam have also expanded people-to-people ties, including in the field of education. Nearly 30,000 young Vietnamese citizens are currently studying at universities in the United States. While in the past, the U.S. and Vietnam were opponents on the battlefield, today, our security relationship is all about cooperation, said Secretary Pompeo. Recently the USS Theodore Roosevelt visited Da Nang, the second U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam since the end of the war. And, with the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo four years ago, the U.S. and Vietnamese militaries are looking to further increase security cooperation. Secretary Pompeo noted that there are still challenges in our relationship. But the ability to have honest discussions when we disagree is confirmation of our potential as partners. In the coming years, the United States and Vietnam must stay focused on the future, stressed Secretary Pompeo, building our cooperation in areas from cybersecurity to education to energy to defense. As we celebrate 25 years of partnership in 2020, said Secretary Pompeo, let us renew our commitment to a strong and independent Vietnam and a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. When we listen to consumers voices onlineas we did with this studyits clear they want to make informed choices. They value products that are tested and look online for confirmation in shared experiences that might indicate efficacy. " A new study from CBD Marketing features insights on CBD-cannabidiol and cannabis-marijuana use based on analyzing millions of online conversations and posts from Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers. General Findings Men are talkinga lot. Across all age groups, more men than women contribute to online conversations about cannabis, CBD and related products. Young men are especially chatty. Overall, men generated 62 percent of conversations vs. 38 percent for women Young men age 18-34 represent a 70 percent share of the 62 percent above Twitter and Reddit dominate. They are the top two platforms where consumers share tips, information and pose questions about cannabis, CBD and related products. Of the 3.6 million total posts analyzed: o 2.46 million on Twitter o 637K on Reddit o 333K on forums o 152K on blogs o 18K on review and comment sites Theres still a big learning curve. Most consumers are still learning about different uses for cannabis and CBD products and are actively sourcing recommendations, opinions and answers online. Conversations reveal interest in CBD and cannabis for pain, anxiety and depression. There are still high negative sentiment attributed to cannabis-marijuana related to safety and side effects. Conversations about CBD have a higher positive sentiment (43 percent positive) vs. conversations about cannabis (28 percent positive). The oils have it. Oils as a use-consumption method had the most mentionsand the most positive sentiment ratings. Oils represented 44 percent of total mentions; smoking 22 percent; edibles 20 percent; vaping 10 percent; tinctures 4 percent Oils and tinctures have the highest positive sentiment; smoking and vaping the highest negatives. Better to eat and drink itbut work on the taste. Consumers are eager to tryand are overall more positiveabout CBD, hemp and cannabis in food and beverage applications, which are considered more natural and health-promoting forms of consumption than smoking or vaping. Food and beverage-specific conversations are 80 percent positive or neutral. Taste continues to be a challenge for CBD-cannabis infused food and beveragesespecially for beverages. I just tried hemp beer and anyone who claims to like this needs to stop pretending. Generational Insights Millennials (age 24-39) Millennials represent 22 percent of the U.S. population and 52 percent of the U.S. adults who use marijuana; 76 percent support marijuana legalization. Importantly, 60 percent indicate social media influences their purchase decisions. Online, Millennials tout the benefits of using cannabis and CBD products for stress, anxiety, and general wellness. Some say they use cannabis products as a replacement for medication. They are also in favor of more regulation to ensure the safety, quality and efficacy of CBD and cannabis products. I switched my meds to medical marijuana. Is cannabis part of your self-care routine? Do you use different strains to find balance in energy or emotions? CBDneeds to be regulated and tested just like any other medication. So excited to know what Im finally getting at the cannabis dispensary. I have no control over a steady, precise amount of #CBD. This is the reality of prohibition. Gen Xers (age 40-55) Gen X makes up 20 percent of the U.S. population. They account for 30 percent of the cannabis-consuming public in fully legal states and 65 percent support marijuana legalization. A health-literate generation, they are time pressed, often caring for children and aging parents. Gen Xers are divided on the benefits of CBD and cannabis products, with many debating effectiveness as well as potentially harmful side effects. They may also be the most overlooked market for CBD and cannabis products, as media stories tend to focus on Millennials and Baby Boomers. Gen X here. I use CBD. But the media dont care about us, so. Its a FACT that cannabis helps fight pain. I would rather smoke marijuana than take antidepressants or anxiety medication. We need studies on CBD oil. Yes! CBD oil is amazing but it doesnt replace most medications. Telling me to drop a prescription and use CBD is stupid advice. Baby Boomers (age 56-74) Boomers represent 22 percent of the U.S. population and are one of the fastest-growing cannabis and CBD consuming audience segments. Marijuana usage has increased 75 percent in this cohort from 2015-2018. More than 60 percent support marijuana legalization and they are highly interested in wellness products. Boomers are the least negative of the generational groups when discussing CBD and cannabis and are turning to social media to discover new research and share their positive experiences. Have you tried CBD cream on your knees? I have had relief. Have you tried medical marijuana? It helps my back, hip and sciatica pain. Very good read #cannabis works better than #BigPharma; THC for sleep is safer than a pharmaceutical sleep aid. Listen and Learn When we listen to consumers voices onlineas we did with this studyits clear they want to make informed choices. They value products that are tested and look online for confirmation in shared experiences that might indicate efficacy. As this industry rapidly matures and expands, nows the time to learn as much as possible about consumer behaviors and motivations in order to prepare for the growth that is as inevitable as it is exciting. Studies like this one can be a critical tool, Liz Brohan, CBD Marketing's CEO concluded. According to Brightfield Research, U.S. CBD sales of $23.7 billion are expected by 2023. According to Nielsen, U.S. legal weed-marijuana sales are expected to reach $41 billion by 2025.Download a copy of the complete study, Generational Preferences in CBD/Cannabis Consumption: Insights from Online Conversations. About Colman Brohan & Davis, Inc. (CBD Marketing): CBD Marketing is a Chicago-based integrated marketing and advertising agency that builds strong connections between brands and the hearts and minds of their customers. Founded in 1988, CBD Marketing serves national and global clients in manufacturing, energy, appliances, building products, education, retail, financial services, food, food ingredients and other industries, including those entering the CBD-cannabis space. Companies and organizations count on the agency to Market Whats Meaningful, building more intimate and profitable relationships in emotional and rational ways. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the circumstances that led to over 50 armed policemen storming the Port Harcourt residence of former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Joy Nunieh at 4am on Thursday, in a bid to abduct her. Wike had stormed the house to rescue Nunieh and took her away. Wike berated those self-styled armed policemen who claimed to be members of the Inspector General Monitoring Unit. The governor said under a civilised society, the proper thing to do was to invite her to answer to any allegation. But to storm her residence at such an unholy hour, the governor said, suggested some sinister motive that should not be tolerated. What has happened today is a disgrace. Who knows what would have happened to her if they had gained access to her main room. I went there personally to see things for myself and rescued her. She is supposed to testify before the House of Representatives Committee and here we are having armed men wanting to abduct her. We came out to protect our daughter and we will do so to every Rivers citizen. That is the oath of office I swore to. It doesnt matter the political affiliation. We will not allow anybody to destroy Rivers state. It is so unfortunate and I cry for this country concerning the ways things are going. They didnt have a warrant of arrest, but would storm somebodys house, in fact, the State Commissioner of Police is not aware. So, tell me how something will happen in a state and the Commissioner of Police is not aware. They said its the Inspector General Monitoring Unit. So, we have such a Unit taking over the responsibility of crime fighting in a state and the Commissioner of Police is not aware. I can also assume too that the Inspector General of Police is not aware. He should investigate it, he said. The governor also called on governors of states that make up the NDDC to ensure that their citizens do not have a hand in the planned abduction of the former Managing Director of NDDC. If there is any allegation of crime against her, I will not back her, but you cant kill her for no established crime. I dont know whos responsible, but whoever is behind it should not take Rivers state for granted because we will fight back. From what has happened now, I want to say that Rivers State is fully out. Anybody who is responsible for this attempted abduction of our daughter, should know that enough is enough. They cant treat her as a common criminal. I am sure that President Muhammadu Buhari is not aware of this. All the Niger Delta States should find out if any of their citizens have a hand in the unfortunate incident and call on such people to leave our daughter alone. She is no longer the Managing Director of NDDC. The way things are going now, it seems people want to destroy Rivers State and it is unacceptable. Using the police to carry out abduction of citizens should not be encouraged. A similar incident had happened in this state before when they wanted to use the same style to abduct a serving Judge, Wike said. Related Rajasthan political crisis: The tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot has intensified. On Wednesday, CM Gehlot blatantly accused Pilot of being directly involved in alleged horse-trading with opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to bring down his government in Rajasthan. Besides, Congress national general secretary and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande said that party's doors were closed for Pilot. Also, senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala dissuaded Pilot from joining the BJP and urged him to "return home" (join back Congress). Amid hectic parleys, Pilot told media that he would not join the BJP. "Such speculation is being fuelled to tarnish my image," he said. Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Thursday also asked Pilot for "ghar wapsi" (re-joining the Congress party). Sibal tweeted, "False rumours spread to malign. Pilot : 'I am not joining BJP' I guess then legislators at a hotel in Manesar is merely a vacation in Haryana's comfort zone under BJP's watchful eye. What about 'ghar wapsi'?". Congress party sought the disqualification of Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs from the Rajasthan assembly on Wednesday. Now, MLAs of the Sachin Pilot camp are planning to file a plea in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the Speaker's disqualification notice. The MLAs owing commitment to Pilot are holed up at the ITC Grand Bharat Hotel in Manesar. Pilot was sacked on Tuesday as Rajasthan's deputy chief minister and the president of the state unit of the party after he did not attend the Congress Legislature Party meetings. After being sacked, Pilot had tweeted in Hindi on Tuesday, "Truth can be rattled, not defeated". The current crisis erupted last Friday when the Rajasthan Police sent a notice to Pilot, asking him to record his statement over the alleged bid to bring down the government. The same notice was sent to the chief minister and some other MLAs, but Pilot's supporters claimed that it was only meant to humiliate him. The Special Operation Group (SOG) had sent out the notices after tapping a phone conversation between two men, who were allegedly discussing toppling the Gehlot government. The rivalry between Gehlot and Pilot became prominent during the Rajasthan assembly elections in 2018. Pilot has been upset since the Congress picked Gehlot as Rajasthan CM after the 2018 polls, while his own supporters insisted that he deserved credit for the party's victory as its state unit president. Also read: Govt needs to put more money in hands of poor, says Abhijit Banerjee Also read: Twitter accounts of Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk hacked in Bitcoin scam After years of obstructing Barack Obamas efforts to close Guantanamo Bay when he was president, House Democrats have reversed course and are quietly trying to clear the way for Joe Biden to close the notorious detention facility should he win the presidential election in November. Notably, Democrats dropped key restrictions on the White Houses authority to close Guantanamo Bay from the fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill despite keeping the language in prior years government funding packages. And Republicans arent letting the restrictions go without a fight. Theres actually an election coming up, said Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. There could be a new administration coming in, and on its first day say were closing Guantanamo Bay. And Congress has the opportunity right now to take a position on that. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., failed to put the restrictions back into this years defense bill in a 24-28 vote. The House Appropriations Committee ultimately advanced the legislation without the restrictions in a 30-22 party-line vote Tuesday. The Diaz-Balart amendment would have blocked a potential Biden administration from closing the US base, located in Cuba. It would also curtail the White Houses ability to transfer detainees out of the facility, which was the Obama administrations preferred tactic in its bid to close the prison in the face of bipartisan opposition. Why it matters: President Donald Trump has abandoned Obamas practice of transferring detainees out of the prison, but he has not added more detainees despite his 2016 campaign pledge to do so. Conversely, former Vice President Biden told The New York Times last month that he still supports closing Guantanamo Bay. Throughout the Obama administration, Democrats joined Republicans to pass restrictions hindering the White Houses efforts to close the base. Even progressive stalwarts such as Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., voted against easing the restrictions in 2013. That changed when Democrats won the House in the 2018 election. The committee does fund the prison, and we have asked for report language seeking to bring down the extraordinary costs in future years, defense spending panel Chairman Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., said ahead of Tuesdays vote. Each of those 40 individuals at Guantanamo are costing the American taxpayers about $10 million per year. Most of the prisoners are from the Middle East. The House Armed Services Committee led the way last year and attempted to drop the restrictions from last years defense authorization bill. But the Republican-held Senate won out and maintained the restrictions in the compromise bill, which Trump signed into law in December. Whats next: Senate Republicans will likely seek to keep the Guantanamo restrictions in this years defense spending and authorization bills, particularly if Biden wins the election. It remains unclear how hard House Democrats are willing to fight to keep the restrictions out of this years compromise legislation amid the myriad of other partisan flashpoints theyll need to address with the Republican Senate. Know more: Democrats also advanced significant restrictions on Trumps ability to pursue offensive military action throughout the Middle East as part of the same defense spending bill. Congressional Correspondent Bryant Harris has that story here. President Moon Jae-in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first inter-Korean summit at the truce village of Panmunjeom, April 27, 2018. / Korea Times file By Kang Seung-woo President Moon Jae-in recently shook up his national security team in a bid to double down on his inter-Korean peace initiative, but the ambitious reshuffle may fall short of his expectations, with few gambits to curry favor with North Korea, according to Pyongyang watchers. Earlier this month, Moon reshaped the team that is filled with so-called pro-North Korea figures such as National Intelligence Service (NIS) director nominee Park Jie-won, a key figure in arranging the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, and former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok who has called for independent yet aggressive actions to improve stalled inter-Korean relations. In addition, Suh Hoon, a former NIS chief who contributed to inter-Korean summits between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has taken over the top National Security Office job, while Lee In-young, a long-time advocate of engagement with the North, has been nominated for unification minister. "By filling out the national security lineup with those who have experience reaching out to the North and call for aggressive engagement with the country, the South Korean government is seeking to regain confidence from the Kim regime and revive momentum for dialogue," said Kim Jung, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. From left are Park Jie-won, Suh Hoon and Lee In-young / Korea Times file "However, the North is not likely to immediately respond to the South's engagement efforts given that the South's national security team was not responsible for the current frayed inter-Korean relations." Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University, echoed Kim's view. "The inter-Korean ties have been aggravated by not the South Korean government's poor policy but the North's strategy that pressures the South so it can win something," he said. "No matter what forward-looking approach the South takes, it is not likely that the North will return to talks." Park also said structural limitations will also prevent the team from aggressively pursuing new initiatives toward the North. "As former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said, there are multilayered sanctions imposed on the North, so even if Lee takes office, it will not be easy to push ahead with the engagement policy at his disposal," Park said. "The North wants to immediately resume the Gaeseong Industrial Complex or Mount Geumgang tourism, but it would not be easy even for the new security team to do so." Also, timing is not on the new national security team's side as the North is anticipated to adopt a wait-and-see attitude until the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election, which would leave less room for the team to maneuver. "The North believes inter-Korean relations are subordinate to its ties with the United States, so it is highly likely to wait until the U.S. election. In other words, the new national security team has fewer options to create dialogue momentum with the North," Park said. Im Jong-seok, left, and Chung Eui-yong / Korea Times file In addition, how actively the security team pursues Moon's Korean Peninsula peace process depends on who wins the election. "If President Trump is re-elected, he is expected to continue his top-down style of diplomacy, which will give more room for the security aides to make engagement efforts, but a Joe Biden presidency is likely to restrict their roles," Kim Jung said. Traditionally, the U.S. Democratic Party has taken issue with the North's human rights situation a move the totalitarian state denounces as one of hostile actions by the U.S. against the North. In addition, while condemning Trump's summits with the North Korean leader, Biden said in January that he would not meet with the North Korean dictator without preconditions. Amid the cross-border relations heading toward their lowest ebb under the Moon administration, there was widespread consensus that the President should recruit politicians for his national security team as they were believed to be able to make and push ahead with bold decisions in North Korea policy. The unification minister nominee is an active four-term lawmaker and the nominee for director of intelligence is a veteran politician, although he failed to win his fifth parliamentary term in the general election in April. However, at the same time, the reshuffle is also raising concerns that they may force a diplomatic breakthrough at all costs, including hurting the relations between the South and the U.S. In fact, the unification minister nominee hinted at revamping the joint working group if inaugurated. The group is a forum to coordinate issues regarding North Korea, but it is under fire for allegedly hindering Moon's policy toward the North. "It is a concern that they may push ahead with the engagement policy without fully considering the situation. If so, the bilateral relations between the South and the U.S. may deteriorate," Park said. "I think the South Korean government wants such a drive, while there are growing calls from the ruling party to use political maneuvers for inter-Korean reconciliation tilting away from the U.S. policy." On Tuesday, a North Korean propaganda outlet expressed optimism about the South's new national security squad, citing a pro-unification media outlet in the South saying that high hopes are pinned on the new team. "We have great expectations for Lee In-young and Im Jong-seok in the recent shakeup," Uriminzokkiri quoted Jaju Sibo as saying. It also cited another article calling on the South to halt combined exercises with the U.S. and get rid of the working group. Late last month, President Moon voiced an intention to mediate between the North and the U.S. although the North ruled out the possibility of holding another summit with the U.S. this year. Believing that North Korea is still waiting for a certain offer from the U.S., Cho Seong-ryoul, a senior advisor of the Institute for National Security Strategy, said the new national security team needs to explore ideas to facilitate the meeting between the two countries whose ties have been icy since the collapse of the Hanoi summit in February 2019 although it is a daunting task. "Above all, uncertainties loom in the North over how the result of the U.S. presidential election will affect its policy toward the country, so it will be the South Korean government's role to clear up uncertainties," Cho said. Kim Jung said what the new national security team can do is prevent the current situation from getting worse ahead of the election. "At this point, however, the Moon administration cannot take initiative as the North has not responded to the South's offers for inter-Korean projects," he said. A man who drove without insurance and who drove while serving a previous disqualification received a suspended sentence at Portlaoise District Court on Thursday. Andris Jurevics (44) of 1 Barnhill Road, Durrow was charged with driving with no insurance at Crubeen, Ballyroan on June 18 this year. Defending Solicitor, Philip Meagher said that Mr Jurevics was a Latvian national who worked as a general operative. He had a lift arrangement for getting to work during the period of his disqualification On the date in question his nephew rang him in an emergency and Mr Jurevics responded and went to assist him. It was a poor decision, noted Mr Meagher. Judge Staines drew attention to the fact that Mr Jurevics drove whilst disqualified. What is the point of drink driving convictions and disqualifications if you continue to drive? she queried. She sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year. He was disqualified for two years. The Armenian side is ready to permit the recovery and retrieval of the Azerbaijani killed and injured from the battlefield, said defense ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan. "In case the Azerbaijani Armed Forces stop the fire and favorable conditions are created, the Armenian side is ready to permit the recovery and retrieval of the Azerbaijani killed and injured from the battlefield," she wrote on her Facebook. Bloodline: a riveting account of a criminal attorney and his alluring wifes falling out in marriage that provoked a battle of principles and lawsuits. Bloodline is the creation of published author Leilani D. Mcleod, a retired woman entrepreneur, who decided to make Hawaii her permanent home. Mcleod shares, Ana Lord was one of the most intoxicating, infuriating, and most beautiful woman David had ever met. Ana made David want to live life again. Lately, being a criminal attorney, David had been feeling overwhelmed with work. David did not always play by the rules, and for this reason, he only worked with his personal team. He was a young, handsome, and ambitious attorney and would do anything for success. Now David found himself caught between Anas no-nonsense attitude and his own self. However, David forgot that Ana took her vows seriously; she not only believed in love but also believed in the vows of marriage. Ana found herself in the position of making her marriage work or divorce David. There was a catch now between the new attorneys David hired for his new offices, which would be a lot more work. So he did not make it home most nights. He delegated work to the attorneys, including divorce, litigation, debate, etc. In a dispute between Ana and David, two powerful people, a conspiracy was born, and it would change their lives forever. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Leilani D. Mcleods new book depicts arresting scenes between two remarkable individuals who settle their marriage affairs in court that eventually unveiled scandalous schemes. Witness how an established criminal attorney faces his wife in a tango of litigation and personal agenda that left them in utter vexation. View the synopsis of Bloodline on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Bloodline at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Bloodline, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Peter Manfredonia a University of Connecticut student accused of a string of crimes including two homicides, a home invasion and kidnapping entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance Wednesday. Manfredonias defense attorney, Michael Dolan, said after his clients arrest that he would plead not guilty to the charges. He also had Manfredonia placed on suicide and mental health watch while he is held in jail. During the court appearance on charges of murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, home invasion, kidnapping and other offenses related to the crimes police say he committed in Willington, Manfredonia opted for a jury trail. He does wish to waive his probable cause hearing, Dolan said on his clients behalf. The judge confirmed Manfredonias decision in a series of mandatory questions linked to the hearing to ensure he understood his choice. During that questioning, Manfredonia mostly responded with yes, your honor and no, your honor. Manfredonia also told the judge during the questioning that prior to his arrest he, was a senior in college ... I was studying management and engineering for manufacturing. Dolan confirmed to the judge that waiving the hearing was for strategic reasons. A probable cause hearing must be held within 60 days of a person being charged. During the hearing, the state must prove there is probable cause to believe that a murder has been committed and that you committed it, the judge told Manfredonia. He told the judge he understood his decision and still opted to waive the hearing. Manfredonias next court appearance has been scheduled for Oct. 2. The charges Manfredonia pleaded not guilty to Wednesday were linked to violence that started in Willington on May 22. After a six-day manhunt that spanned several states, law enforcement took Manfredonia into custody on May 27 in Hagerstown, Md. Police say the crime spree began in Willington around 9 a.m. May 22, when Manfredonia took a ride on an ATV from 62-year-old Ted DeMers. Manfredonia apparently told DeMers his motorcycle broke down, according to the arrest warrant for the Willington crimes said. Manfredonia allegedly attacked DeMers and a neighbor 80-year-old John Franco with a sword. DeMers died from his injuries. Franco was critically injured, but was in stable condition by the time Manfredonia was taken into custody. On the morning of May 24, police received a call from a Willington man who said Manfredonia held him against his will for hours before the Newtown resident stole food, guns and a truck from the man, according to authorities. The man was unharmed. That truck was found near Osbornedale State Park in Derby around 6:45 a.m. May 24, setting off an extensive search in the area that led law enforcement to a Roosevelt Drive home about a mile from the park. It was the home of Nicholas Eisele, a former Newtown High School classmate of Manfredonia. Eisele was found shot to death inside the home, police said. Manfredonia fled, taking Eiseles girlfriend with him in the womans Volkswagen Jetta, police said. The Newtown High School graduate has not been charged with the crimes police say he committed in Derby. By the afternoon of May 24, New Jersey State Police found Eiseles girlfriend and her car at a rest stop near the Pennsylvania border. Police said Manfredonia was then spotted in nearby East Stroudsburg, Pa. On May 26, police said Manfredonia had been seen in a convenience store in Chambersburg, Pa. The search extended into Maryland after police learned that Manfredonia took an Uber over the state line. The next day, various law enforcement officers were at the Pilot Travel Center truck stop in Hagerstown, Md., when Manfredonia was seen walking from a nearby wooded area. He was taken into custody without incident, police said. Four music venues are facing the prospect of permanent closure across Hull and Manchester, the Music Venue Trust has said. The organisation, which represents grassroots venues, said in a statement that hundreds of other venues could also be lost across the country unless urgent action is taken to save them. The Welly and The Polar Bear in Hull have announced that they will close, according to the trust. Expand Close Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has previously announced a 1.57 billion support package for the arts (Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/Crown Copyright/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has previously announced a 1.57 billion support package for the arts (Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/Crown Copyright/PA) Manchesters The Deaf Institute and Gorilla will need to find new operators if the buildings are to continue being used as music venues, it added. The Music Venue Trust said the future of the venues may be salvageable and urged local authorities to take action and find alternative operators. We have been warning for months that the situation faced by grassroots music venues was unsustainable and would result in the closure of spaces people love and artists need unless there was concerted, strategic action, the organisation said. That action now needs to be accelerated to prevent hundreds of other venues from being lost right across the country Music Venue Trust That action now needs to be accelerated to prevent hundreds of other venues from being lost right across the country. The Government has previously announced a 1.57 billion support package for the arts, with music venues, theatres, museums, galleries, independent cinemas and heritage sites eligible for emergency grants and loans. Hull City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority have been contacted for comment. Global Bay leaf Market Outlook Bay leaf contains vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid that makes it a nutrient-dense herb. Consumption of bay leaf extract as a health supplement is increasing the demand of bay leaf in all regions by health-conscious consumers. The rapidly growing urbanization and changing lifestyle had shifted the food preference towards healthy eating owing to the health benefits of herbs and spices. Increased use of the bay leaf as an ingredient in food preparation such as sauces and dressings, personal care and many more gives ample opportunity to the manufactures to grow in the market. Bay leaf owing to its medicinal benefits such as antioxidant properties that heal the body is gaining the attention of health-conscious consumers all over the world. The increasing awareness of advantage has gained the attention of the consumers thus increasing spice consumption. Bay leaf is used as whole, powder form and bay leaf oil. The spice is also gaining popularity due to its use in French and Indian cuisine. Bay leaf is also used in the flavoring of liquor & vinegar. Consumption bay leaf tea had increased due to its nutritional & healing benefits. Get free sample copy before purchase this report@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/17182 Increasing adaptation of herbs on a daily basis is driving the bay leaf market The global bay leaf market is expected to witness growth owing to its various health benefits awareness rising among the consumers. The consumption of herbs and spices is fuelling the demand for bay leaf in the global market. The consumers are increasingly adopting herbal tea consumption pattern which increases the demand for spices such as bay leaf which in turn propelling the bay leaf market. The growth in essential oil demand due to the medicinal benefits is also a factor for driving the bay leaf market. Bay leaf essential oil helps to improve the scalp that supports hair strengthen. The anti-inflammatory property of the bay leaf reduces the chances of arthritis and also the consumption of bay leaf improves insulin function which the reason it is beneficial for diabetics. The increasing use of bay leaf by nutraceutical is also driving the global bay leaf market. Spices are becoming popular globally due to the increasing consumption of exotic cuisines and packed foods. Global Bay leaf Market Segmentation Based on form the global Bay leaf market is segmented as Whole Powder Based on application the global bay leaf market is segmented as Food and beverages industry Pharmaceutical Personal care & Cosmetic Others Based on the distribution channel, the global bay leaf market is segmented as Business to Business (B2B) Business to Consumers (B2C) Hypermarkets/ Supermarkets Convenience stores Online retail Others Based on the region the global bay leaf market is segmented as North America Latin America Europe South Asia East Asia Middle East & Africa Oceania Global Bay Leaf Market Key Players Some of the major key players of the global bay leaf market are Alpina Organic Company, MOUNTAIN ROSE HERBS, Red Stick Spice Co, Frontier Co-op, McCormick & Company, Inc, Pacific Spice Company, Inc. Anatoli Spices, Hoby Agriculture and Forest Product Co. Ltd and others. You can buy this report from here@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/17182 Global Bay leaf Market Opportunity Increasing the food and beverage industry around the globe is expected to propel the bay leaf market as well. The Asia Pacific has the largest share owing to the various end-user application. The increasing demand for bay leaf powder and bay leaf essential oil is expected to increase the demand for bay leaf in the global market. Owing to the medicinal benefits of the bay leaf, many supplement manufacturers are providing bay leaf extract capsules which are increasing the demand of bay leaf. Bay leaf oil is increasing been used as it helps in reducing pigmentation and also cleaning and smoothening skin. The trend of Ayurvedic treatments where essential oils are used is also the major factor for the growing demand of bay leaf. Impact of COVID-19 on global Bay leaf Market The outbreak of coronavirus had brought unprecedented challenges for all the sectors of the world. The outbreak of the Coronavirus and the measures taken to slow its spread is affecting every sector. The demand for food products had rapidly grown owing to the lockdown around the world and the panic buying behavior of consumers. The closure of the HORECA sector had affected the food and food ingredient producers. Consumption of staple food has increased whereas high-value products like meat, specialty cheese, wine, and others had decreased. The demand for a bay leaf from the health supplement industry may witness upsurge graphs as most of the pharmaceuticals and packed food manufacturers are operating in many regions of the world, with the permission of local governmental authorities. Bay leaf is mainly supplied to the food industry and pharmaceutical and both these industries are operating posed this pandemic which may upsurge the demand of the bay leaf. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 16, 2020 20:42 551 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40666dde3f 1 Politics hip-bill,pancasila-ideology-bill,BPIP,mahfud-md,puan-maharani Free The government submitted its newly proposed bill on the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) to the House of Representatives on Thursday as both parties sought to end the controversies surrounding the much-criticized Pancasila Ideology Guidelines (HIP) bill. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD visited the house complex in Central Jakarta on Thursday and met with House of Representatives speaker Puan Maharani, during which they agreed to delay the deliberation of the HIP bill and move forward with the BPIP bill instead. Mahfud asserted that the BPIP bill was different from the controversial HIP bill, saying that the latter included the Temporary Peoples Consultative Assembly Decree (TAP MPRS) No. 25/1966 on the banning of communism in Indonesia as one of its underlying foundations. "We also emphasize the Pancasila ideology that we officially use here in Chapter 1, Article 1 and Point 1 of the bill," Mahfud said, before mentioning the five principles of Pancasila. Mahfud visited the House together with some of the top brass of the government, namely State Secretary Pratikno, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Home Minister Tito Karnavian, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo. "We agree to be as transparent as possible so people can discuss and criticize the [BPIP] bill," Mahfud said. The BPIP bill arose amid controversies surrounding the deliberation of the HIP bill, which has received backlash from members of the public who questioned the timing of its deliberations as well as some of contentious articles in it. Read also: :Communist phobia sinks Pancasila bill at House On Thursday, several Islamic groups, including the 212 Rally Alumni a group formed from people who participated in the 2016 rally against then-Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama who faced prosecution for blasphemy even hit the street outside the House compound to express their opposition to the HIP bill. Supported by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the HIP bill was initially intended to regulate the values of the Pancasila ideology and the functions of the BPIP, the steering committee head of which is the party's chairwoman and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri. Activists, scholars and various groups have voiced opposition to the bill, with some prominent Islamic organizations in particular questioning the draft bill's failure to include the 1966 TAP MPRS, which they feared could open the door for the reemergence of communist ideology in the country. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) went as far as to deem the contents of the draft bill "secular and atheistic", arguing that it degraded ideology of Pancasila itself. The government subsequently decided to halt deliberations of the HIP bill. Puan, who welcomed the ministers with the House deputy speakers on Thursday, said she expected the agreement between the House and the government on the BPIP bill to end all debate among the public about the HIP bill. "I hope that after this, all the controversies surrounding the HIP bill over the past few weeks will be over and we can work together in harmony to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts," the PDI-P politician added. U.S. President Donald Trump demoted his longtime campaign manager, a move aimed at shoring up his re-election bid as he trails Democratic candidate Joe Biden in opinion polls less than four months before the Nov. 3 vote. In a Facebook post, Trump said campaign manager Brad Parscale would be replaced by Bill Stepien, who has been the deputy campaign manager. Parscale will shift to a role focused on digital and data strategy, the president said. A leadership shakeup had long been rumored. Parscale was blamed internally for a botched Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally last month that drew a much smaller crowd than he predicted. A subsequent coronavirus outbreak forced Parscale and other campaign officials who attended to self-quarantine for two weeks, Reuters reported. A source close to the campaign said Trump has been anxious about the polls and struck at the most visible target he could, adding that Parscale has been a straight-shooter about the presidents challenges. Stepien, a longtime Republican strategist, is well known to both Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has been playing a more active role in the campaign. Stepien was political director at the White House before moving to the campaign. In his statement, Trump credited both Parscale and Stepien for their involvement in his 2016 victory in the U.S. presidential election and predicted that he would glide to a second term in office. This one should be a lot easier as our poll numbers are rising fast, the economy is getting better, vaccines and therapeutics will soon be on the way, and Americans want safe streets and communities, Trump wrote. India gets second consular access for Kulbhushan Jadhav India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 16: Pakistan has provided second consular access to India for Kulbhushan Jadhav. Not all requests were agreed by Pakistan and the access is likely only for two hours. Jadhav is in need of legal representation, especially since Pakistan is claiming that he has rejected filing a petition, sources said, adding that because of this, someone has to take up the case on his behalf. But for that, unimpeded access to him remains vital, they concluded. India exploring legal options in Kulbhushan Jadhav case: MEA Meanwhile, as the deadline for filing a review plea against Jadhav's death sentence neared, a senior Pakistani Opposition Senator has criticised the government for not tabling in Parliament an ordinance promulgated in May to allow a foreign national to file a petition for the reconsideration of a military court's verdict. International flights: Bubble travel with US & France, flights to resume from tomorrow|Oneindia News The issue of the ordinance was raised in the Senate by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raza Rabbani when a minister was about to present in the upper house the COVID-19 (prevention of hoarding) Ordinance after a delay of almost three months, Dawn newspaper reported on Thursday. Pakistan enacted an ordinance called the International Court of Justice Review and Reconsideration Ordinance 2020 on May 20 under which a petition for the review of a military court's decision can be made to Islamabad High Court through an application within 60 days of its promulgation. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017. Credit: University of Roehampton The research, a collaboration between the University of Roehampton, the University of Cambridge and several other institutions, combined archeological data with palaeoclimatic reconstructions to show for the first time that climate dramatically impacted the migration of people across Europe, causing a dramatic slowdown between 6,100 BCE and 4,500 BCE. The research team, including Dr. Lia Betti, Senior Lecturer of the University of Roehampton, assembled a large database of the first arrival dates of Neolithic farmers across the continent and studied the speed of their migration in relation to climatic reconstructions of the time. They also re-analysed ancient DNA data to understand the interaction between early farmers and local hunter-gatherers. They discovered migration started quickly out of south-eastern Europe, with Neolithic farmers pushing out the existing hunter-gatherer population. This was demonstrated by how little the DNA of the two groups mixed. As they moved north, the climate became less suitable for the crops they had bought with them. Their pace of movement slowed, changing how they interacted with local hunter-gatherers, which can be seen through increased genetic admixture of the two groups. To test that climate was the key factor causing the slowdown in migration, the team used palaeoclimatic reconstruction to calculate the number of Growing Degree Days (GDD) for the areas that the farmers encountered during their expansion. GDD are commonly used in agriculture as a measure of the heat available in a year for the crops to grow. The expansion slowed down along different migration routes whenever early farmers reached regions where the number of GDD was less than required to support the original crop package. This conclusion was further supported by the fact that the only route that had not slowed down in expansion was along the Mediterranean, suggesting that those who moved along that path could continue to expand rapidly in the favourable warm climate. Comparing ancient DNA data from local hunter-gatherers and early farmers, the authors also demonstrated that the challenging climatic conditions for farming in Northern Europe led to closer relationships between the two groups and higher admixture. Exchanges of goods and local hunting knowledge may have allowed the first farmers to persist in these regions despite poor crop yields. This research shows how climate has significantly impacted the migration of people since the beginning of our history. The climatic suitability of places to live and settle played a key role in determining where different human groups could thrive, in turn changing the genetics of entire continents. Dr. Lia Betti, University of Roehampton, said: "This study required a huge amount of work to sift through hundreds of archaeological articles, books and reports in different languages to build a detailed model of the expansion of farming in Europe. We are very proud that our database will now be available to the scientific community and the public, to facilitate future research. We have also come up with new methods to identify the main routes of past human migrations and to determine if climate had a significant impact, which we hope will allow us to investigate the reasons behind prehistoric waves of migration in other areas of the globe". Explore further Heightened interaction between neolithic migrants and hunter-gatherers in Western Europe More information: Lia Betti et al. Climate shaped how Neolithic farmers and European hunter-gatherers interacted after a major slowdown from 6,100 bce to 4,500 bce, Nature Human Behaviour (2020). Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour Lia Betti et al. Climate shaped how Neolithic farmers and European hunter-gatherers interacted after a major slowdown from 6,100 bce to 4,500 bce,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0897-7 Tensions are running high during these trying times, and that discord has certainly been reflected in the letters to the editor of this and every other newspaper across the nation. We have letters from that kid we all knew in high school who failed science three times, explaining how the pandemic is total nonsense and the doctors and nurses are all deep state actors; we have letters pleading not to remove statues of long-dead traitors because otherwise our children wont know their history (tis true, with all the statues removed in post-war Germany, schoolchildren there have absolutely no idea who won or lost World War II); and of course, we have a very heated mayoral race and the myriad letters expressing how a candidate who refuses to fly the Pride Flag under the American flag and welcomes members of the neo-fascist Proud Boys to political fundraisers is the right leader for our city. All of these are entertaining to be sure, but it will be near impossible for any letter yet unwritten to match the sheer ignorance and absolute absurdity of Rick Oxfords recent bumble-rant ("Just obey the law and don't have a confrontation," July 11). In summarizing how he has been pulled over no less than 8 times in a year, Oxford writes and I quote if youre not driving a stolen car, committing a crime or have warrants, you are not going to have a problem with law enforcement. Breonna Taylor: shot eight times and killed while asleep in her home. Botham Jean: shot and killed while eating ice cream on the sofa in his living room. Philando Castille: shot and killed in front of his girlfriend and four-year-old daughter after notifying officers that he had a legally carried firearm. Akai Gurley: shot and killed while walking down the stairs of his apartment building. Stephon Clark: shot eight times (including six in the back) and killed while holding a phone in his grandmothers backyard. Tamir Rice: shot and killed while playing with a toy gun in a park. Michael Brown: shot and killed while walking down the street with a friend. Atatiana Jefferson: shot and killed in her home by police responding to a call that her front door was ajar. The list goes on and on and on and on A more accurate version of Mr. Oxfords view should probably read: If youre not sleeping in your bed, leaving your front door open, eating ice cream on your couch, walking down your stairs, playing in a park, or walking with a friend down a street, then you are not going to have a problem with law enforcement. Let me be clear, this letter is in absolutely no way an indictment or an attack on the Napa Police Department, or any police department that is truly committed to community policing. On the contrary, I have the utmost faith and confidence in Chief Plummer, Chief Potter before him, and all the policewomen and men in our city and their zeal for community engagement. Working downtown, on multiple occasions I have seen police respond to incidents that I was certain would end in violent confrontation, and each and every time our police de-escalated the situation in a stunningly efficient and professional manner. But at the same time, we must be exceedingly vigilant of the fact that the realities of our day-to-day lives in fair Napa town are starkly different from those in so many other cities big and small across the country. And we should take great care not to commit the all-too-common sin of confirmation bias, as Mr. Oxford has clearly done, in saying, I have never been shot by a police officer while obeying the law, therefore no one has. Finally, and perhaps most difficultly, many of us (present company included) need to seriously think about the idea of systemic white privilege in our society, how it affects us, and how it affects the way we treat others in our lives. While he certainly did not intend it this way, Mr. Oxfords letter was as an exemplary definition of white privilege as one could hope to find. And his letter as well as my own both danced around perhaps even explicitly omitted the discussion of race and its role in the injustices so many are so passionately protesting against. It went without saying that each of the eight names listed above belonged to an African-American, but the very fact that went without saying highlights just how immense a problem we must work to overcome. Chris Hammaker Napa The real national symbol of America isn't baseball, hot dogs or a slice of apple pie. It is the boycott. My countrymen don't get any more "American" -- any more plugged into the true ethos of the land of the free and home of the brave -- than when they're trying to put someone else in the poor house because of an opinion, policy or endorsement they disagree with. Despite what the racists say, Latinos have always excelled at being Americans. The nation's largest minority knows the history, culture, food and purpose of this magnificent country. And the tribe -- all 59 million of us -- contributes to all of those things every single day. We go along to get along, and we're masters of assimilation. Even the small fraction who only speak Spanish -- surveys typically put the figure at about 15% -- are destined to lose the language war in the long run to their children who speak English. That being the case, it's an act of patriotism that Latinos now want to once again try their hands at the American pastime: boycotts. Just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a report of gunshots coming from a residence in the 9000 block of Breezewood Terrace, the department said on Twitter. The assailant fled when police arrived, and the victim was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. Three companies in and around Southeast Texas have been fined a combined $300,000 by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for unauthorized releases. The agency addressed the incidents in a virtual meeting Wednesday morning in Austin, where it also reviewed 45 other cases on the docket. Enterprise Products Operating LLC, which has facilities in Jefferson and Orange counties, landed the highest fine of regional companies on the agenda, facing more than $210,000 in total fines for violations at its Mont Belvieu plant dating back to 2012. TCEQ found that from October 2012 to December 2016, the company had multiple unauthorized releases of almost 77,000 pounds of carbon monoxide and lesser amounts of other gases. The agency listed eight violations found in its investigation. About $63,000 of the penalty will be used in a supplementary project to make energy-efficient upgrades in the Barbers Hill Independent School District. The Mont Belvieu plant was the scene of a large fire in 2011 that required children at nearby Barbers Hill ISD schools to stay indoors, but no injuries or deaths were initially reported. Enterprise Products did not provide comment about the fines by press deadline. OCI Beaumont, a methane and ammonia plant just inside the Nederland city lines, was fined more than $70,000 for violations from March 2017 to the end of 2018. Along with citing violations that released an estimated 5,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide and lesser amounts of other harmful compounds, TCEQ also penalized the company for not reporting its releases within two weeks of the event and not complying with its emission on concentration. More than $28,000 of the companys fines will be dedicated to the Lighthouse Program, an initiative managed by the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission that provides funds to make energy-efficient upgrades to homes in Port Arthur. OCI, which is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, didnt respond to requests for comment. Citgo Pipeline Company was fined almost $16,000 for violations at its Sour Lake tank farm in October 2015 that resulted in almost 59,000 pounds of crude oil being spilled and the release of about 2,500 pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) known to cause cancer. In its docket, TCEQ said the company waived its right to defense against the violations since it didnt comply with reporting policies and the emissions event could have been avoided with better design and/or better operational and maintenance practices. TCEQ claimed the company didnt report the incident within a day of its occurrence as the law requires, and didnt file a final report until 2019. The company did not respond to requests for comment by press deadline. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jd_journalism The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces would on Monday July 20th begin strict enforcement of COVID-19 preventive directives at public places. The stringent enforcement would ensure that everyone within the Central Business District wears a nose mask, while companies and public places must provide veronica buckets, which are basic requirement to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A team of military officers and metropolitan officials on Thursday embarked on public education to create awareness on the need to wear nose mask before entering the Central Business District from Monday July 20. An official explained to the Ghana News Agency that all persons who would move around the city of Accra must adhere to the protocols due to the high cases of COVID-19 being recorded. He said the team would also monitor and ensure that market centres within the Accra Metropolis were kept clean. The team would arrest persons who violate the laws and lock up shops of traders operating in filthy environments during the inspection. The monitoring team, assigned by the Government, are resolute to help combat the disease whilst ensuring the safety of the citizens. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, some traders at Tema Station said, they would adhere to the protocols and also keep the environment clean to avert any sanctions. The traders appealed to the Authorities to provide more dustbins, adding that those in charge of waste collection should pick them up on time. 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 Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Tuesday suspended the state coordinator of FADAMA 111, Cletus Nwakpu. Mr Nwakpu's suspension was announced during a virtual state executive council meeting presided over by the governor who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Mr Umahi said the sanction followed a report presented by the state Fiscal Responsibility Commission, which indicted Mr Nwakpu of misappropriation of funds and other acts against his oath of office. He directed the Secretary to the State government, Kenneth Ugbala, to take over the office in an acting capacity. He also ordered the state Head of Service, Chamberlain Nwele, to discipline Mr Nwakpu as a civil servant through civil service rules. The governor further gave the Fiscal Responsibility Commission seven days to recover all the monies from Mr Nwakpu. He charged the Commission to petition the EFCC to take over the matter; and also prosecute Mr Nwakpu if he fails to remit the embezzled funds within the seven days. The report which was read at the meeting read: "Dr Cletus Nwakpu, directed the opening of an account with the name of Ebonyi State FADAMA Production Cluster with Polaris Bank PLC, formerly called Skye Bank PLC, and the project account has signatories and which money contributed by the farmers as captured in 2007 FADAMA Projects were deposited contrary to the financial regulation guiding the implementation of FADAMA project. "That Dr Cletus Nwakpu did not release to the farmers the complete Agricultural inputs which they paid for and has failed to refund the payment so made. "That Dr Cletus Nwakpu directed some parts of FADAMA office to collect about ninety million naira (#90,000,000) being for the beneficiary contribution levy made by the farmers in cash contrary to the requirement that every beneficiary contributes into individual farmers' production group account. "The total sum of twelve million six hundred and ten thousand only (#12,610,000.00), two million six hundred and ten thousand naira only(#2,610,000.00) paid by farmers for advisory services of the 2017 FADAMA Project was not compiled for the designated purpose. "That the total sum of thirteen million six hundred and fifty thousand naira only(N13,650,000.00) approved by Dr Cletus Nwakpu for the payment to the two resourced persons for capacity building for the farmers was not actually spent for the purpose and there was no capacity building as claimed. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "That the regulation and guideline for the procurement of Agricultural inputs, selection of service provider, particularly for advisory service and capacity building for 2017-2019 FADAMA Project/Program were not compiled by Dr Cletus Nwakpu. "That the sum of ninety-one thousand naira (N91,000) was paid for one unit of rice machine but was neither supplied nor the amount refunded to the farmers. "That because of the failure of the said coordinating office to comply with the approval regulation and procedures, one hundred and eighty-two million naira (N182,000,000) being 50% beneficial contribution this year and another 90% International Development Agency(ICA) counterpart fund for the advisory service fee for 2017 was not paid to Ebonyi State Government by International Development Agency Fund. "That Dr Cletus Nwakpu initiated the arrest of Mr Anthony Nwankwo, the Project Accountant on the said day that he (Anthony Nwankwo), was invited by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission to testify to the matter. This arrest followed an earlier arrest of Mr Cyprian Iziogo, the Project Procurement Officer." Briefing journalists after the virtual meeting, the SSG, Mr Ugbala, said the state will commence distribution of Covid-19 Palliatives on Saturday. He said that the distribution will be at the political ward level under the supervision of stakeholders in the area. Mr Ugbala said the palliatives were donated by the federal government, NGOs and good-spirited individuals. The younger brother of indigenous rapper Olamide, musician and DJ of YBNL, DJ Enimoney has welcomed a baby girl. The excited new dad shared the news on his instagram page writing; Ahliamdulilah, its a girl. Anina, Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates In case candy lovers are hankering for a taste of the holidays (yes, the ones in winter), M&M's has already created its end-of-the-year flavor. On Tuesday, M&M's parent company Mars announced a summer social media contest to give folks a taste of the new holiday treat. Which means, as early as August, 10 lucky fans can skip Labor Day, hop over Halloween and enjoy a free bag of red, white and green M&M's. And if Christmas in July wasn't strange enough, the new M&M's flavor doesn't even contain the candy's classic chocolaty center! M&M's wants folks to savor some sugar cookies without setting foot in their kitchens. (M&M's/Mars) The Sugar Cookie M&M's have a crispy, cookie-like center and a white chocolate, sugar cookie-flavored shell. A company spokesperson told TODAY Food the ingredients contain cocoa butter but there's no milk or dark chocolate like most of the other M&M's varieties. In 2017, the brand launched two other limited-edition flavors without any milk or dark chocolate: One was a White Pumpkin Pie pack for fall and the other was White Holiday Mint, which one taste-tester affectionally commented, "This tastes like leaving a TGI Fridays." The new product will officially hit retail stores nationwide in November, but the promotion this summer will go live on the company's social media platforms on Saturday, July 25. Anyone clamoring to rip open a bag of these not-so-chocolaty, cookie-flavored treats can keep their eyes on M&M's Twitter and Instagram and leave a comment with the hashtag #sweepstakes on its post announcing the contest. Five winners will be selected at random from each platform and each receive one 7-ounce bag of the holiday candy by early August. Related: Milk Duds may just be social media's most polarizing candy. So far, some folks on Twitter are eager to try the new product no matter the time of year. (It's worth noting, though, that the Twitter user's account name is "Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe Christmas," so they may be a bit biased.) Story continues And some are not-so-enthused about M&M's free from milk or dark chocolate. White chocolate is not chocolate and is in fact horrible (@jimmy_tiddow) July 15, 2020 But it'll take a taste of the sugar cookie-flavored candy, of course, to determine the truth. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced final plans to expedite permitting for infrastructure like oil pipelines and road expansions, a move that critics say will sidestep the need for public input, especially from low-income and minority communities. The proposal to change how the 50-year-old bedrock National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is implemented is part of Trumps broader campaign to curtail environmental regulations to boost industry and fast-track projects that can take years to complete. Among other things, the final rule says that federal agencies need not factor in the cumulative impacts of a project, which could include its impact on climate change and have significant and long-lasting consequences. "Today's action is part of my administration's fierce commitment to slashing the web of needless bureaucracy that is holding back our citizens," Trump said in a speech at the UPS Hapeville Airport Hub in Atlanta. He said one major project that will get an expedited review is the I-75 lane expansion project from Atlanta to Macon, Georgia. Trump's efforts have often been blocked or slowed down by the courts after lawsuits. Just last week https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pipelines/end-of-an-era-series-of-u-s-setbacks-bodes-ill-for-big-oil-gas-pipeline-projects-idUSKBN2491M5, a federal judge ordered the Dakota Access pipeline to shut down because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had failed to do an adequate NEPA impact study, and the Supreme Court blocked construction of the Keystone XL line from Canada pending a deeper environmental review. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed the changes to NEPA in January, kicking off a public comment period. Officials had called the proposal "the most significant deregulatory proposal" of the Trump administration. The final rule doesn't differ significantly from the draft proposal, which sets a two-year deadline for environmental impact statements and a one-year deadline for less stringent environmental assessments. "This change means that reviews of big federal projects will ignore massive problems like climate change, even as some of our most important financial institutions warn of the threat it poses," said Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate environment committee. Environmental groups also said that watering down NEPA deprives low income and minority communities, often in the shadow of large federal projects, of input. "As COVID-19 and police brutality ravage Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, the Trump administrations perversion of the protections under NEPA deal another blow to these same communities," said Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president of the liberal Center for American Progress. Energy and other industry groups applauded the changes. "The new rule updates ... regulations by reducing unnecessary paperwork, setting timelines for environmental reviews and reduces frivolous litigation efforts designed to simply stall or delay vital infrastructure projects," said Independent Petroleum Association of America President Barry Russell. The CEQ received over 1 million comments after the January proposal, many of which opposed the changes and offered evidence that they could have "harmful results," said Caitlin McCoy, a staff attorney for the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program. This could make the rule vulnerable in lawsuits, she said. "CEQ will need to show that it grappled with these adverse comments and considered all of the important aspects of making these changes, otherwise aspects of the regulations could be ruled arbitrary and capricious," she said. Environmental organizations have said they plan to sue the administration over its rule on the grounds that it has attempted to rewrite a U.S. law without congressional action. We have consistently defeated this administrations relentless, vicious dismantling of safeguards for people and the environment, and we will do so again with this final rule, said Susan Jane Brown at the Western Environmental Law Center. CHICAGO, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Bromine Market by Derivative (Organobromine, Clear Brine Fluids, Hydrogen Bromide), Application (Flame Retardants, Water Treatment & Biocides, Hbr Flow Batteries, Mercury Emission Control, Pta Synthesis), & Region - Global Forecast To 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Bromine Market size is projected to grow from USD 3.2 billion in 2020 to USD 4.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2020 to 2025. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=42782196 Browse in-depth TOC on "Bromine Market" 248 Tables 52 Figures 261 Pages View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/bromine-market-42782196.html The market growth is driven by the increasing demand for bromine in flame retardants, mercury emission control, water treatment, and oil & gas drilling. The flame retardants segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2019. By application, the flame retardants segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2019. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are bromine-containing compounds that are added to substances to inhibit or reduce their rate of combustion. BFRs are more widely used than other commercialized chemical flame retardants. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB), and Brominated Cyclo-hydrocarbons are some of the examples of BFRs. The growing demand from electronics and automotive industries (due to stringent fire safety regulations) and the expanding shipbuilding industries are driving the market for flame retardants across the globe. The organobromine segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2019. By derivative, the organobromine segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2019. Organobromine compounds, such as tetrabromobisphenol-A, hexabromocyclododecane, and bromodiphenyl ethers, are used as flame retardants in many industries, mainly electronics, textile, and plastics. The major applications of organobromine are flame retardants and biocides. Some organobromine derivatives are also used in water treatment applications, such as the cleaning up of pools and spas. They are an important ingredient for making dyes. Organobromines are used as intermediates for preparing pharmaceuticals like nicergoline and brotizolam, and as an anticancer agent pipobroman. Bromoform and dibromodimethylhydantoinorganobromine are used in water treatment applications, to prevent the growth of algae, bacteria, and other microorganisms as well as for the prevention of foul odor in water. The flourishing electronics & telecommunication, textile, plastic, and construction industries are expected to drive the market for organobromine. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=42782196 Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share in the global bromine market in 2019 The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2019. China, India, Japan, and South Korea are key countries contributing to the increased demand for bromine in this region. Substantial development in infrastructure and growing demand for flame retardants in the automobile, building & construction end-use industries are expected to drive the bromine market in this region. Israel Chemicals Limited (Israel), Albemarle Corporation (US), LANXESS Corporation (Germany), Tosoh Corporation (Japan), Tata Chemicals Limited (India), Gulf Resources Inc. (China), TETRA Technologies, Inc. (US), Hindustan Salts Limited (India), Honeywell International Inc. (US), and Perekop Bromine (Republic of Crimea) are some of the leading players operating in the bromine market. Related Reports: Flame Retardant Market by Type (ATH, Antimony Oxide, Brominated, Chlorinated, Phosphorous), Application (Epoxy, Polyolefins), and End-use Industry (Building & Construction, Electronics & Appliances, Wire & Cables, Automotive) https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/flame-retardant-chemicals-market-686.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/bromine-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/bromine.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Lucknow, July 16 : At a time when the Congress is dealing with shockwaves in Rajasthan generated by Sachin Pilot's rebel leading to his dismissal from the party fold as well as Deputy Chief Minister post, the party may see troubles in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh as well. Jitin Prasada, considered as the face of Youth Congress in Uttar Pradesh, has lent his support and sympathies to Pilot -- a development that could activate alarm buttons in the Congress. He is seen openly supporting Sachin Pilot over the ongoing events in Rajasthan. He has also tweeted in Pilot's favour. "Sachin Pilot is not just a person who works with me but also my friend. No one can deny that these days he has worked for the party with full dedication. I hope that this situation will soon improve, I am sad that such a situation has come," he tweeted. Prasada's tweet has created quite a stir in the political circles of Uttar Pradesh and different meanings are being interpreted. Just a few days ago, he thanked Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Twitter. This had happened after Priyanka had called Mayawati a spokesperson of the BJP. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister had said in a tweet that no particular community should be pointed over criminals like Vikas Dubey. On this statement, Jitin Prasada had thanked Mayawati. Says senior political analyst Ratanamani Lal says: "Prasada gave the first reaction after Vikas Dubey's death in a police encounter when he created the 'Brahmin Consciousness Council'. This is a big message in itself. "He is looking for some other role too apart from being in Congress. It is not a big deal if he presents himself as a Brahmin face in the future. He is looking for a bigger role than being a Congress leader. Though he was considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi, it was seen that Rahul is not standing behind them," Lal opines. "He (Rahul) could not stop Jyotiraditya Scindia from going to the BJP. Sachin Pilot had to face humiliation as well. And Jitin Prasada is yet to get any new role... he wants that role so he has 'Brahmin Council'. Through this, he wants to represent the Brahmins. Also, his reaction to Sachin Pilot's rebel in Rajasthan shows that he is not happy with the kind of behaviour he is receiving in Congress." A Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity that Prasada is a "senior person and leader of Brahmins" but he has been sidelined after Priyanka Gandhi's arrival. He is seeking a big role for himself in the state, but unable to get one. Senior political analyst PN Dwivedi said: "Jitin Prasada has recently been working with Brahmin faces in Uttar Pradesh for the Congress party's organisation. He is considered very close to Rahul Gandhi. But, for a while, he is marginalised in the Congress party. Though he has not yet raised any open opposition to it, some of his recent reactions have indicated his not being happy with the party." Buddhist followers crawl under an ancient wooden bed to bring them good luck. The holy bed, which once belonged to King Taksin, is kept at the Wat Arun Ratchawararam temple in Bangkok, Thailand. Footage shows the superstitious devotees scampering under the structure today (July 15). They believe that it will bring them good fortune and health. One woman even combined her trip home from the shops with an afternoon worship and scampered under the bed with her hands full of shopping. The teak wood bed is believed to date back to the 1700s when the King would use it to meditate. It has since been preserved at the historic temple on the Chao Phraya River. Locals are taking the chance to visit the temple while it it quieter than normal due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic closing borders to tourists. Tuan made his statement during his farewell meetings with Czech officials, including President of the Senate Milos Vystrcil, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament Vojtech Filip, and Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek. He also had a phone call with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. At these meetings and phone call, the ambassador highlighted the Czech Republics assistance to Vietnams cause of national protection and construction, and thanked the country for its significant support during the process towards the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Tuan said the Czech parliament was among the first European law-making bodies to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), while the country backed Vietnams candidacy to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. He also took the occasion to praise the coordination between the two countries at international forums. The Czech leaders lauded Tuans performance during his tenure, saying he had made great contributions to boosting the bilateral friendship and cooperation across fields. PM Babis said he will soon arrange a visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc. According to him, the Czech Republic wants both sides to accelerate the opening of a direct air route between the two capitals Prague and Hanoi for stronger trade and tourism linkages. In the past time, the two countries had exchanged numerous delegations at all levels in a bid to enhance trade, economy, investment, people-to-people diplomacy, cultural exchange and establishment of twining relations between localities. The Czech leaders thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for presenting the country face masks and medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They spoke highly of the Vietnamese expatriate community in the Czech Republic, noting that it is a hardworking group with significant contributions to the host country. Ngozi OkonjoIweala on Thursday expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly for nominating and supporting her candidacy for Director-General of the World Trade Organisation( WTO) position. I want to also thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu and the Nigerian ambassadors to Switzerland, WTO as well as the Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva Mrs Okonjo-Iweala who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Geneva, also thanked ECOWAS for endorsing her candidacy as the race for the WTO Director-General position enters the selection phase. She is vying for the top job alongside candidates from Kenya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. UK, Moldova, Mexico and the Republic of Korea. All the candidates are in Geneva to make presentations to the WTO General Council and address the press from July 15 17. The former finance minister who had previously urged the WTO to elect its Director-General based on merit told NAN that given her resume as a development economist, she was best suited for the job. People ask me often what best qualifies you for the job- I think the WTO needs leadership, it cannot continue to do what it did before. If its to stay as one of the premier institutions of the 21st century, it needs strong leadership which is a quality I have. It needs knowledge of trade which I have for being a development economist which my entire career is built around. It needs someone with political skills and international connections that can reach policymakers in all countries- and I have that owing my 35 years of experience The job needs someone who listens and Im a good listener and lastly, someone who is solution-oriented and pragmatic. I have experience in all sectors ranging from the public to private sectors and international civil societies as well as from multilateral organizations. If you put all these together, you will see Im best qualified for the job, she said. NAN reports that the second phase of the selection process, in which candidates would make themselves known to members, will end on September 7. Similarly, the third phase, which is the consultation process, would commence the same day. At the forthcoming consultation, the Chairman of the General Council alongside Chairs of the Dispute Settlement Body and the Trade Policy Review Body would consult with all the WTO members to determine which candidate is best placed to attract consensus support. Meanwhile, WTOs outgoing Director-General, Roberto Azevedo, would retire in August this year after serving two terms of seven years. (NAN) No year since weather records began was as hot and dry as 2018. A first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of this drought and heat event shows that central European forests sustained long-term damage. Even tree species considered drought-resistant, such as beech, pine and silver fir, suffered. The international study was directed by the University of Basel, which is conducting a forest experiment unique in Europe. Until now, 2003 has been the driest and hottest year since regular weather records began. That record has now been broken. A comparison of climate data from Germany, Austria and Switzerland shows that 2018 was significantly warmer. The average temperature during the vegetation period was 1.2C above the 2003 value and as high as 3.3C above the average of the years from 1961 to 1990. Part of the analysis, which has now been published, includes measurements taken at the Swiss Canopy Crane II research site in Basel, where extensive physiological investigations were carried out in tree canopies. The goal of these investigations is to better understand how and when trees are affected by a lack of water in order to counter the consequences of climate change through targeted management measures. When trees die of thirst Trees lose a lot of water through their surfaces. If the soil also dries out, the tree cannot replace this water, which is shown by the negative suction tension in the wood's vascular tissue. It's true that trees can reduce their water consumption, but if the soil water reservoir is used up, it's ultimately only a matter of time until cell dehydration causes the death of a tree. Physiological measurements at the Basel research site have shown the researchers that the negative suction tension and water shortage in trees occurred earlier than usual. In particular, this shortage was more severe throughout all of Germany, Austria and Switzerland than ever measured before. Over the course of the summer, severe drought-related stress symptoms therefore appeared in many tree species important to forestry. Leaves wilted, aged and were shed prematurely. Spruce, pine and beech most heavily affected The true extent of the summer heatwave became evident in 2019: many trees no longer formed new shoots - they were partially or wholly dead. Others had survived the stress of the drought and heat of the previous year, but were increasingly vulnerable to bark beetle infestation or fungus. Trees with partially dead canopies, which reduced the ability to recover from the damage, were particularly affected. "Spruce was most heavily affected. But it was a surprise for us that beech, silver fir and pine were also damaged to this extent," says lead researcher Professor Ansgar Kahmen. Beech in particular had until then been classified as the "tree of the future", although its supposed drought resistance has been subject to contentious discussion since the 2003 heatwave. Future scenarios to combat heat and drought According to the latest projections, precipitation in Europe will decline by up to a fifth by 2085, and drought and heat events will become more frequent. Redesigning forests is therefore essential. "Mixed woodland is often propagated," explains plant ecologist Kahmen, "and it certainly has many ecological and economic advantages. But whether mixed woodland is also more drought-resistant has not yet been clearly proven. We still need to study which tree species are good in which combinations, including from a forestry perspective. That will take a long time." Another finding of the study is that it is only possible to record the impacts of extreme climate events on European forests to a limited extent using conventional methods, and thus new analytical approaches are needed. "The damage is obvious. More difficult is precisely quantifying it and drawing the right conclusions for the future," says Kahmen. Earth observation data from satellites could help track tree mortality on a smaller scale. Spatial patterns that contain important ecological and forestry-related information can be derived from such data: which tree species were heavily impacted, when and at which locations, and which survived without damage? "A system like this already exists in some regions in the US, but central Europe still lacks one." ### Further information Prof. Dr. Ansgar Kahmen, University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences, phone +41 61 207 35 71, email: ansgar.kahmen@unibas.ch By Praveen Menon (Reuters) - Rio Tinto said on Thursday it will close its aluminium smelter operation in New Zealand due to high costs and a challenging market, putting over a thousand jobs on the line and dealing a blow to the country's top power producers. The closure of the New Zealand Aluminium Smelters venture, which is the country's single largest power user, comes amid forecasts of massive job losses and a looming recession in New Zealand, with the economy crippled by tough restrictions to beat the spread of the coronavirus. It also puts pressure on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who launched her re-election bid just last week, promising more jobs and financial assistance to businesses. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the decision by Rio Tinto, the world's biggest iron ore miner, was "disappointing" and the timing could not be worse. "Given the challenging economic situation caused by COVID-19 it is disappointing Rio Tinto has chosen to close the smelter at this time, especially given the support New Zealand has shown the company and how profitable they are globally," Robertson said. New Zealand Aluminium Smelters consumes about 5,000 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, roughly 12% of the country's power. The smelter employs around 1,000 people directly and creates another 1,600 indirect jobs in the Southland region. Rio has been threatening to shutter the smelter for years as it demanded further subsidies from the government. The company acknowledged the decision "will have a significant impact on employees, the community and our customers," but did not elaborate. "Extensive discussions with a wide range of interested parties have failed to secure a power contract that will enable the operation to become both competitive and profitable," Rio Tinto said. DISAPPOINTED The smelter is a joint venture, with Rio holding a 79.4% stake and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical Co holding 20.6%. Rio had an underlying loss from it of NZ$46 million ($30.25 million) in 2019. Story continues The closure would mean surplus power supply in New Zealand's South Island, which would hurt the power companies but have a positive impact on electricity prices. Shares of Meridian Energy Ltd, a major supplier of power to the smelter, plunged as much as 18.3% on the Kiwi bourse. Shares of all other energy firms also tumbled. Local power firms slammed Rio Tinto's decision.. Contact Energy CEO Mike Fuge said all commercial parties had collectively delivered significant cost reductions for electricity to the smelter. "We're very disappointed to have played our part in delivering these savings for one of the greenest smelters in the world and to have such limited engagement from Rio Tinto," Fuge said in a statement. ($1 = 1.5209 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Additional reporting by Rashmi Ashok in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and Dan Grebler) A Bharatiya Janata Party ally from Rajasthan on Thursday alleged that former chief minister Vasundhara Raje has been trying to "save" the Ashok Gehlot government in the state. "Former CM Vasundhara Raje has been trying her best to save the Ashok Gehlot government, which is in a minority. Many MLAs of the Congress were called up by her in this regard," Hanuman Beniwal, a Lok Sabha MP, claimed in a tweet. There was no immediate reaction from Raje, a senior BJP leader who has been the state's chief minister for two terms. Beniwal, a former BJP leader and Raje-baiter for a long time, claimed that there is an "internal understanding" between her and incumbent Chief Minister Gehlot. Raje has maintained silence during the unfolding crisis in the state after rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot revolted against the government. Beniwal heads the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. In Lok Sabha, he has been a vocal supporter of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. A lawyer for ousted Lincoln University president Dr. Brenda Allen is seeking an injunction to keep the school's Board of Trustees from firing her. Read more The ousted president of Lincoln University on Thursday sued its board of trustees, saying they breached her contract and violated state law in a secret vote to not extend her tenure late last week. Brenda Allen, who had led the Chester County university since 2017, wants an injunction barring the trustees from acting on their vote, and declaring it invalid and a breach of the states open records law. She also seeks damages for humiliation she said she suffered while being denied her rightful position as president of Lincoln University. The 21-page lawsuit, filed in Chester County Court, accuses the two leaders of the trustees, chair Theresa Braswell and vice chair Dimitrius Hutcherson, of conspiring to deny her a proper and fair evaluation and vote on an extension of her contract. The clash between the trustees and the president that had been simmering for months but burst into the open in the last few weeks. After a secret vote Friday night, the board announced that it was moving forward with selecting an interim president to replace Allen, whose three-year contract leading the historically Black university expired June 30. The lawsuit says Allen contacted Braswell in February and requested an extension of her contract. Braswell said she would be in touch but did not follow up, according to the lawsuit. It alleges that Braswell later suggested that Allens contract would be considered at a performance evaluation June 29 but that Braswell did not mention the issue during that meeting, and falsely stated that Allen had never requested an extension. After Allens contract expired, her lawsuit says, Braswell and Hutcherson conspired to make Hutcherson Lincolns de facto president. Hutcherson who sent out news releases on behalf of the board after its vote Friday declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday. The Board of Trustees will continue to move forward on behalf of Lincoln University, he said in an email. A special meeting is scheduled for Thursday to select an interim president. Allens supporters, including students and faculty, had challenged the trustees vote, which occurred during an executive session that lasted more than three hours. More than 250 people waited in a Zoom conference for the board to return. When it did, Braswell announced that trustees had voted by 52% to 48% against negotiating a new contract with Allen. Braswell did not specify the vote breakdown. In the lawsuit filed by her lawyer, Riley Ross, Allen contends the vote was actually 50/50, with 11 trustees voting for a new contract and 11 against, and five trustees appointed to the board by the commonwealth were not allowed to vote. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro had told the board the day before the meeting that the appointees should be permitted to participate. In a message circulated among Lincoln alumni, Rosalie Hornbuckle, a former board member, said the board had stacked the vote against Allen, and muted trustees who tried to speak up during the Zoom meeting. Since taking over at Lincoln in July 2017, Allen had won support from many in the Lincoln community and been credited with boosting student retention and alumni giving. More than 14,000 people signed a petition to keep her as president, and students, faculty, staff and alumni are planning to march Saturday in support of her. Dr. Allen is devoted to Lincoln University, Ross said. Of the illegal moves to oust her, he said, She is not going to tolerate it. An MP has been suspended by his party for a year after being arrested on suspicion of attacking his wife. Welsh nationalist MP Jonathan Edwards accepted a formal caution by police over the domestic assault. Plaid Cymru's disciplinary panel suspended the Carmarthen East MP from the party for 12 months after ten years in the House of Commons. Father-of-three Edwards, 44, described it in a personal statement as 'by far the biggest regret of my life'. Plaid Cymru's disciplinary panel suspended Jonathan Edwards, MP for Carmarthen East, from the party for 12 months after ten years in the House of Commons His wife Emma Edwards said that she's accepted her husband's apology and considers the matter closed. Mr Edwards said: 'I am deeply sorry. It is by far the biggest regret of my life. 'I complied fully with the Police and acted with the best interests of my wife and children as my primary motive throughout. 'I have referred myself to an investigation by my party. My priority now is to work with my wife to ensure as stable a future as possible for our family.' Wife Emma Edwards said: 'I have accepted my husbands apology. Throughout the decade we have been together he has been a loving and caring husband and father. As far as I am concerned the matter is now closed.' Edwards and his wife Emma, who have three children together, live in a 600,000 detached house in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. Edwards, 44, accepted a formal caution by police over the domestic assault He was seen being taken from the house by three police officers after the early-morning incident on May 20. A statement issued on behalf of Plaids disciplinary panel said: 'Jonathan Edwards referred himself to the partys disciplinary process and co-operated fully with the investigation. 'Having considered all the evidence, the panel imposed a 12-month suspension from the party. Any lifting of the suspension after 12 months is dependent upon Mr Edwards appearing before the panel to demonstrate that he has undertaken a period of self-reflection and learning to address his actions. 'A caution for common assault is a serious matter and if Mr Edwards fails to abide by the terms of the suspension he will be excluded.' Mr Edwards said: 'I fully accept the decision of the disciplinary panel.' Edwards, who acted as Plaid Cymru's Brexit spokesman, was critical of the knock-on effect of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union on the Welsh economy. Jailed poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has tested positive for COVID-19, a hospital official said on Thursday. The 80-year-old, lodged in the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai under judicial custody, was admitted to the state-run JJ Hospital earlier this week. Rao is asymptomatic and has general weakness, said Dr Ranjeet Mankeshwar, dean of the JJ Hospital. The poet-activist's medical report came on Thursday and he was found to be coronavirus positive, he said. "He has been found positive for COVID-19, but his condition is stable, no symptoms of COVID-19 have been found, he is having general weakness," said Mankeshwar. "His treatment is going on," he said. It was a routine swab check that was done on Tuesday after he was admitted to JJ Hospital and claims made by his family members that he is not getting proper medical care were not true, the official maintained. "We are providing best health facilities to him and by late (Thursday) night he may be shifted to St George Hospital (another state-run hospital) for further treatment," said Mankeshwar. Rao, who hails from Telangana, was shifted to the government-run hospital in south Mumbai on Monday night after he complained of giddiness and was later admitted to its neurology department. Rao's family members along with several writers and activists had asked the Maharashtra government to immediately shift him to hospital for treatment, citing his deteriorating health condition. Nationalist Congress Party leader and minister Jitendra Awhad had also demanded that Rao be shifted to hospital. Rao's family members on Sunday sought the jail authorities to provide him immediate medical care and claimed that when the veteran activist contacted them last week, he was in a "delirious state and hallucinating". Rao has been in jail for about 22 months and had earlier approached the special National Investigation Agency court, seeking bail on medical grounds and the prevailing COVID-19 situation. On Monday, Rao filed two petitions in the Bombay High Court, seeking temporary bail owing to his ill-health and a direction to the jail authorities to produce his medical records and admit him to a state-run or private hospital. Rao and nine other activists have been arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, which was initially probed by the Pune Police and later transferred to the National Investigation Agency. The case related to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial. The police have also claimed the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist links. No fewer than 400 Batch B Corps stream II members of the National Youth Service Corps in NYSC in Borno, were on Thursday discharged after their one-year service. Nura Umar, the NYSC State Coordinator, who made the disclosure while addressing the corps members during the passing-out ceremony in Maiduguri, said the corps members would receive their discharge certificates simultaneously. Mr Umar said that the Secretariat held a low key passing-out ceremony to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 protocols for the safety of the corps members and officials. He said that the corps members were directed to adhere to the strict use of face masks and wash their hands before coming to the secretariat to receive their discharge certificate. According to him, the corps members have done wonderfully well in the discharge of their primary assignments and Community Development Services (CDS) in the state. They have been able to prove their mettle in all facets of the service year, excelling in all the nooks and crannies of the state, where they were posted to serve their fatherland, he said. Mr Umar said that the corps members contributed immensely in the healthcare service delivery and improved the wellbeing of persons affected by insurgency. He said that the NYSC had offered free medical treatment, conducted tests and provided drugs to over 1,000 Internally Displaced Persons. Mr Umar said that other activities conducted by the NYSC included sensitisation campaign at the camp to create awareness on safety and preventive measures against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to him, the programme is in line with the directive of the current NYSC Director General, Shuaib Ibrahim, who directed all NYSC state offices to play a leading role in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the country. This is the reason why we mobilised the Engineering Corps, to produce a standard locally made four in one hand sanitizer machine, which we would soon hand over to the Borno state government as part of our contributions, he said. In the area of welfare, Mr Umar Commended Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum, for making the safety of the corps members a priority, by providing befitting accommodation and offsetting their outstanding allowances. He added that the state secretariat was partnering with the security agencies comprising the Police, DSS and army to ensure the safety of the corps members. We thank God that throughout the service year, we did not record any incident associated with the Boko Haram insurgency, he said. Mr Umar, therefore, urged the outgoing corps members to be worthy ambassadors of the NYSC scheme and carry the torch of unity and noble service in their future endeavours. (NAN) Police Suggest Missing Quebec Father May Be Alive and Seeking Shelter STAPOLLINAIRE, Que.The father of two young girls found dead over the weekend southwest of Quebec City may be desperate and looking for materials to ensure his survival, Quebec provincial police said Thursday, on the eighth day of their manhunt. Police said they found evidence Wednesday night Martin Carpentier was in a trailer in the area where police have focused their search since the bodies of Norah and Romy Carpentier, aged 11 and 6, were discovered Saturday. Carpentier took items from the trailer, suggesting he may visit other barns, sheds, or cottages in the region, police said in a news release. We are dealing with an individual who is probably desperate and who must be looking for equipment to ensure his survival, Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said in a pre-recorded audio message sent to reporters. Martin Carpentier in a file photo. (Courtesy of Alerte Amber Quebec) Romy Carpentier (L), and Norah Carpentier (R). (Courtesy of Alerte Amber Quebec) Police asked residents of Lotbiniere and surrounding areas west of Quebec City to check their cottages, trailers, or buildings for signs of a break-in, such as missing or moved clothing, food, or equipment. Hunters who have set up cameras in the woods are also being asked to check their recordings. Police are also suggesting worried citizens search in groups or with a police escort and to call 911 with any relevant information. Sgt. Ann Mathieu, another provincial police spokeswoman, told reporters Thursday theres no evidence to suggest Carpentier poses a danger to the general population. Its an individual who is currently, if he is still aliveand the elements we have lead us to believe he isis looking to ensure his survival and to hide, she said. Surete du Quebec officers block the road accessing a search area near Saint-Apollinaire, Que. on July 11, 2020. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) Investigators have said the girls and their father were believed to have been in a serious car crash on Highway 20 in the Quebec City suburb of Saint-Apollinaire July 8, but there was nobody inside the vehicle when they arrived on scene. An Amber Alert was issued last Thursday but cancelled two days later after the bodies were found. In recent days police have focused their search on a 50-square-kilometer wooded area around Saint-Apollinaire, where items of interest were found on Sunday. Autopsies were performed on the two girls, but police said they wont reveal the cause of death until Carpentier is found. WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Canada and the United States have agreed to extend their mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries until Aug. 20. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/7/2020 (551 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Sources say Canada and the United States are likely to agree to extend their mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries for another 30 days. Canadian and American flags fly near the Ambassador Bridge at the Canada-USA border crossing in Windsor, Ont. on Saturday, March 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rob Gurdebeke WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Canada and the United States have agreed to extend their mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries until Aug. 20. "Based on the success of the existing restrictions and close collaboration with Mexico and Canada, (the Department of Homeland Security) will continue to limit non-essential travel at our land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico until Aug. 20," acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf tweeted Thursday. "Close collaboration with our neighbours has allowed us to respond to COVID-19 in a North American approach and slow the travel-related spread of the virus." 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. The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to so-called "discretionary" travel like vacations and shopping trips since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the continent in mid-March, an agreement that had been set to expire July 21. The extension comes with COVID-19 resurgent across the U.S. cases are on the rise in all 50 states, and southern states like Florida, Arizona and California are facing a fresh crisis with overcrowded hospital wards, refrigerated truck trailers serving as makeshift morgues and another shortage of personal protective medical gear. The escalating emergency has also exposed a deep divide between Canadians dead-set against reopening the border and U.S. lawmakers in northern border states who continue to press both countries for a blueprint for doing exactly that. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the extent of the pandemic in the U.S. a "constantly evolving" situation, but won't say whether officials have considered extending the border restrictions beyond the standard 30-day window. "We're going to keep working closely with our American neighbours to keep people safe on both sides of the border," he said Thursday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2020. Surat: Woman police constable Sunita Yadav, who had a confrontation with a minister's son over lockdown violation which led to his arrest here in Gujarat, claimed she has resigned from service. However, a senior police official has denied it. Prakash Kanani, the son of Gujarat Minister of State for Health Kumar Kanani, and his two friends were arrested on Sunday for allegedly violating the lockdown and night curfew orders in Surat, a COVID-19 hotspot, a senior police official earlier said. Yadav, who is being hailed on social media for taking action against the minister's son, told news channels on Wednesday that she had put in her papers. "I have resigned because I did not receive support from my superior officers. I was only doing my duty as a constable. It's the fault of our system that these people (like the minister's son) think they are VVIPs (very very important persons)," she said. However, a senior police official here denied that she has resigned. "She has not given her resignation. The inquiry is still on and technically she cannot resign at this juncture," Surat Police Commissioner R B Brahmbhatt said. Yadav's action had led to the registration of an FIR and arrest of Prakash Kanani and two of his friends for alleged violation of lockdown and curfew norms in Surat city. The arrests came after a video of a heated exchange between them and Yadav, who pulled up the trio for violation of curfew, surfaced on social media. The trio was later released on bail. Since the incident, Yadav is being hailed on social media. While some social media users called her "Lady Singham" (referring to the tough cop in the Hindi film "Singham"), some suggested she contest the 2022 state Assembly polls against Kumar Kanani, who represents Varachha constituency in Surat district. A staffer passes a COVID-19 self-test kit to a driver at the Hansen Dam Recreation Center test site in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) The next two weeks are shaping up to be critical for California as officials wait to see if the sweeping restrictions imposed in late June and July show any signs of slowing the rapid spread of coronavirus in communities across the state. This week was marked by a series of grim milestones as California shattered a one-day record for new coronavirus cases more than 11,000 on Tuesday as well as rising infection rates and growing numbers of hospitalizations. Because the coronavirus can take weeks to incubate, much of the current surge is still tied to people exposed to the virus in June, as counties rapidly reopened the economy and many returned to old but now dangerous routines such as bar-hopping and attending parties and other social events. Many also returned to workplaces that didnt implement new safety protocols. The big question now is whether Californians changed their behavior enough in July to reduce infection rates. Officials began raising alarms in the days before the July 4 holiday and over the last few weeks have closed bars, indoor dining, shopping malls, gyms and other retail establishments in many areas. "It's kind of in everybody's hands right now," said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for L.A. County. "We don't have a lot of time, though. At some point, you turn that corner where you're actually expecting hospitals to provide way more care than is possible." On June 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars shut in L.A. County and several others, and a day later, Ferrer warned of "alarming increases in cases, positivity rates and hospitalization." By July 1, Newsom ordered indoor restaurant dining and bars closed in 19 counties, affecting 72% of the state's population. It has been about two weeks since then, but it'll take at least three weeks to learn whether the actions taken that week decisively changed the course of the pandemic, said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for Los Angeles County. Ghaly said Wednesday that if people got back to safer behavior staying home as much as possible, avoiding social gatherings, wearing face coverings, keeping physical distance and workplaces following new safety protocols L.A. County could avoid having hospitals and ICUs overwhelmed. Story continues Even more businesses have shut down this week, with Newsom ordering the closure of all bars and indoor dining rooms at restaurants. And in the hardest-hit counties that are home to more than 88% of Californians, he also closed indoor operations of gyms, places of worship, hair salons, nail salons, malls, tattoo parlors, bowling alleys, arcades and offices for nonessential industries. If one thing is clear, officials across the state said, it's now up to residents and businesses to do their best to slow the spread of disease. The percentage of younger adults getting infected with the coronavirus is growing, and younger adults are now making up a larger share of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, making up nearly 30% of them in L.A. County. "Birthday parties, the visits with grandparents ... the barbecues: they are contributing to a delay or rollback in reopening of businesses," said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco's public health director. California on Tuesday recorded its highest number of new cases in a single day, 11,142 infections; Tuesday also marked the second-highest number of deaths in a single day statewide, with 144 deaths tallied, according to the Los Angeles Times' California coronavirus tracker. On Wednesday, at least another 8,000 new coronavirus cases and more than 125 deaths were reported statewide. There have been a cumulative total of more than 354,000 confirmed cases and more than 7,300 deaths related to the coronavirus statewide. Of them, more than 143,000 cases and more than 3,900 deaths have occurred among L.A. County residents. More than 6,700 people with confirmed coronavirus infections were in the hospital statewide Tuesday. That's more than double the daily average in May, when there were about 3,000 people hospitalized statewide with confirmed infections. In L.A. County, officials estimated that the effective transmission rate of the coronavirus has risen slightly to 1.07, according to data released Wednesday, although the actual number could be anywhere from 0.94 to 1.2. That means officials estimate that on average, every 1 person infected with the virus transmits it to 1.07 other people. San Francisco on Wednesday reported an even worse transmission rate of about 1.3. "The virus is not only still out there, it is out there more than ever before," said Colfax, the city's public health director. "If we do not do better, we are looking at major problems by late August and September, with an average peak of 900 hospitalized patients by early October" a number 10 times as bad as what the city is seeing now. Colfax said it's "certainly possible" that if conditions do not improve, officials may need to roll back reopening efforts in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. With evidence mounting about the disproportionate impact the pandemic is having on Latino and Black communities, L.A. County officials Wednesday announced plans to expand testing where it's most needed. Officials announced they will open six new testing sites in communities of color Montebello, South Gate, Azusa, Panorama City, Compton and the Downey-Norwalk area. And they will add capacity at four existing sites in Bellflower, Pomona, El Monte and East Los Angeles. An astonishing 89% of people testing positive for the coronavirus at a site in Willowbrook, south of Watts, have been Latino, even though 71% of those who were tested identified themselves Latino, said Dr. Erika Flores Uribe, an emergency room physician and the director of language access and inclusion at the county's health services department. The result is close to that of a study in San Francisco's Mission District, in which 95% of people testing positive for the coronavirus were Latino. Furthermore, Latino residents are testing positive at a much higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group in Los Angeles County, a trend that has been constant for months, said Ghaly, the L.A. County health services director. Latino residents are testing positive at a much higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group in Los Angeles County (Los Angeles County Department of Health Services) The disparity could be reflective of white residents having less risk of being exposed to the coronavirus. White residents are less likely to live in crowded households or work in essential jobs that require employees to leave home to earn money, Ghaly said. The disparity in the so-called positivity rate could also reflect greater access to and use of testing resources by white residents. "Sadly, the underlying reasons why communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the worst outcomes of COVID-19 is related to longstanding structural and systemic issues, including social determinants of health that the county is working to address and mitigate in the midst of this pandemic," Ghaly said. Poverty also increases the risk of testing positive. Poverty also increases the risk of testing positive. In communities with the highest poverty rates, more than 15% of coronavirus tests had results confirming infection; in the wealthiest neighborhoods, less than 8% of tests came back positive. (Los Angeles County Department of Health Services) "This reflects, again, the burden that our low income communities face in terms of their exposure to the virus, and also the fact that they were not and still are not accessing testing at an appropriate level given their degree of burden," Ghaly said. To figure out where the county should add testing sites, officials did an analysis to create a map of areas of L.A. County that had the greatest need for more coronavirus testing, based off of factors like the positivity rate, the coronavirus mortality rate, and the rate at which residents are accessing testing services. The results showed portions of South Los Angeles, Southeast L.A. County, the San Gabriel Valley, the Pomona Valley, the San Fernando Valley and the Antelope Valley needed greater access to testing. A Chinese boy who fell from a five-storey ledge by accident has survived unscathed thanks to a courageous neighbour. The two-year-old from eastern China made several spins during his 50ft fall before the heroic saviour caught him bare-handed. The child had climbed out of his home and ended up on a small platform before losing his grip and dropping from heights, local authorities claimed. Footage released by local officials in eastern China shows the two-year-old trying to cling onto a ledge for about 10 seconds (left) before losing his grip and plunging at high speed (right) The boy had allegedly climbed to the platform, which supported an air-conditioning unit, after crawling out of the balcony. He was said to have resort to act out of desperation after accidentally locking himself in and feeling scared. An official post said that he was unharmed after being caught by the neighbour, who sustained minor injuries on his arms as a result. The boy's fall was broken briefly by a plastic awning before he landed in the man's arms safe and sound. The social media video shows the child making several spins during his 50ft fall before being caught by the saviour with his bare hands last Thursday in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province The accident took place last Thursday in the county of Xuyi in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. Footage released by the local government on Twitter-like Weibo shows the boy trying to cling onto the ledge for about 10 seconds before being forced to let go due to a lack of strength. He spun at least 720 degrees in the air during the high-speed fall and hit the awning briefly. The saviour, who had been following the child's movement closely, then caught him with his bare hands while standing on a stool. Several other bystanders had put duvets on top of the plastic shelter to protect the boy should he land there. The child was taken to a hospital and found to have no injuries, according to the propaganda department of Huai'an, which released the video on its social media account. The child was taken to a hospital and found to have no injuries, according to the propaganda department of Huai'an. The saviour (right) sustained minor injuries on his arms as a result The brave neighbour, named Li Dehai, told local reporters that the boy had managed to lock his grandmother out of their home. He said the accident occurred when his grandmother had gone to find a locksmith to open the door. 'The boy was scared [after being trapped on the platform], and his neighbours yelled for help after spotting him,' Mr Li told video news outlet Pear. Mr Li shouted at the boy telling him not to move while calling the police. The Good Samaritan said he saved the boy 'out of instinct'. 'We could not see him falling from the building without doing anything,' he told Pear. 'It happened so quickly. I did not have other thoughts at the time but to save him.' Mr Li said he suffered bruises on his arm as a result and was recovering. The debate over Speakers' power under the Constitution to entertain pleas seeking disqualification of MLAs has been ignited again amid the political crisis in Rajasthan with the Assembly Speaker entertaining such a plea by the ruling Congress party and issuing notices to 19 lawmakers in the state. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi has sent disqualification notices to sacked Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs on the basis of the complaint made by the party. The dissidents have to reply by Friday. The apex court, in a plethora of verdicts, has given varying judicial opinions on Speakers' powers ranging from refusing to intervene in the matter to assuming the role of the Speaker itself and going to the extent of disqualifying lawmakers under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. The 2011 verdict of the Supreme Court in the Karnataka case may strengthen the case of the 19 MLAs, including Pilot, according to some legal experts. The top court had set aside the disqualification of 11 Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs, who were opposed to the then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, by the Speaker. The high court had endorsed their disqualification. "Merely because these MLAs expressed lack of confidence in Yediyurappa would not mean that the Speaker was empowered to take action against them," a bench headed by the then Chief Justice Altamas Kabir had held. It had taken note of the assertion of the then 11 MLAs that they were part of the BJP and would support any other leader in the party, and held this rebellion did not require action under 10th schedule (which deals Speaker's power to deal with defection) of the Constitution. "Rajasthan Speaker's notice to Pilot and others with him is patently illegal and beyond the scope of tenth schedule of the Constitution. They have not joined or expressed a wish to join or support BJP," senior lawyer and Constitutional law expert Rakesh Dwivedi said. "Protesting against CM and asking for change or pressuring High Command of the Congress to change CM does not amount to leaving the party," he said. In response to a question whether a political party can issue a legally tenable whip to its MLAs for activities outside the Assembly, the senior lawyer said, "No. Whips are issued for activities in the House. "Not attending meetings of the Congress legislature party is pressure tactic and an intra-party activity. Speaker has erred and notice is against the Yediyurappa case of Supreme Court." He said however that the party can take disciplinary action against Pilot. Dwivedi added there were no media reports that Pilot indulged in any anti-party activities and met leaders of rival political parties to topple the government; rather there have been reports of police probe against the Deputy Chief Minister for offences like sedition. There have been contrary views as well, holding that the Speaker has ample and wide powers under the 10th schedule to deal with anti-defection activities of the lawmakers. "Being the head of the House, the Speaker is well within his right to issue the (disqualification) notice," another senior advocate Ajit Sinha said, adding that the action of suspension or disqualification can always be challenged. "As far as the notice is concerned, the Speaker has the right. Those who have been issued notice can claim that the speaker cannot disqualify for the activities done outside the house, but the issuance of notice at the first place cannot be called illegal," he said. The apex court and the high courts have been very cautious in intervening with the role of Speaker in the matters of disqualification. The Constitution gives exclusive jurisdiction to the Speaker to rule on disqualifications for defection. In the recent Karnataka crisis, the top court had said that 15 rebel Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs in Karnataka 'ought not' to be compelled to participate in the proceedings of the ongoing session of the state Assembly and an option should be given to them as to whether they wanted to take part or stay out of it. However, the apex court had also said that the Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar will decide on the resignation of the 15 MLAs within 'such time-frame as considered appropriate by him'. But, there have also been instances where the top court has assumed the role of the Speaker to itself after taking note of the delay on the part of the Speaker in deciding such pleas. In a rare move, the Supreme Court had invoked its plenary powers and ordered forthwith removal of BJP lawmaker and Manipur Forest Cabinet Minister T H Shyamkumar, restraining him from entering the Assembly till further orders. Shyamkumar had won the Assembly polls in 2017 as a Congress candidate but later joined the BJP government. The plea of his disqualification was pending with the Speaker. Recently, the top court has sought response of the Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly on a plea of DMK seeking a direction to "forthwith" decide its pending plea for disqualification of 11 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam lawmakers who had voted against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami during the 2017 confidence vote. Nineties girls like me grew up on The Baby-Sitters Club. We collected every book in the Ann M. Martin hit series like they were rare, mint-condition Beanie Babies. We put our names on bookstore waiting lists in anticipation of the latest adventure. And when we got that call that the newest novel wed reserved was ready for pick up? The dopamine high that social media tries to replicate with its notifications and likes has got nothing on that feeling of pure 90s joy. It was a simpler time. Long before the invention of the smartphone as a distraction device, we soothed our souls with good old fashioned tales of friendship, mystery and entrepreneurship. The Baby-Sitters Club was a serious, successful, female-run business. Each girl had a very specific job title and role within the club. Their small business had brand loyalty, and they all made good money always enough to throw the ultimate slumber party replete with all the TGIF musts: pizza, ice cream sundae-makings and snack foods galore! Related: 3 Priceless Money Lessons for Women Entrepreneurs Many millennial women who grew up wanting to be a part of The Baby-Sitters Club are now the newest generation of female entrepreneurs. With the July 3 release of the female-led, 2020 version of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix, here are three fierce lessons for female entrepreneurs inspired by your favorite babysitters and business leaders: 1. Proudly state your strengths At their initial meeting of The Baby-Sitters Club, Stacey McGill, who becomes treasurer of the BSC, enthusiastically declares that shes good at math. This is important, not only because girls have typically been socialized to believe they arent as good at math as boys which is scientifically untrue, yet leads to a marked gender disparity in STEM fields but also because women are too often taught as young girls to downplay their strengths. Confidence tends to be seen negatively in women, as boasting or arrogance, while it's just expected from men. This is exactly why girls of all ages need role models to look up to so that the double standard can be eradicated. Lucia Aniello, executive producer and director of eight of 10 episodes of the first season of The Baby-Sitters Club, says that she grew up identifying with BSC founder and president of Kristy Thomas. During a Q&A following a pre-screening of the series premiere held by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Aniello emphasized that she doesnt think its a coincidence that she grew up to be a director when her BSC idol literally sat in a directors chair during club meetings. Representation is important. As the institute's tagline states: If she can see it, she can be it. Related: 3 Powerful Lessons From Women With Ambition So, fellow female entrepreneurs: Get out your fluorescent highlighters, because this is important. Confidently vocalize your strengths. Dont sell yourself short, and dont let impostor syndrome get the better of you. Get used to saying Im excellent at math, writing, science, marketing." Whatever your talent is, shout it out proudly. Not only will you be inspiring the women and girls around you to confidently promote their talents, but youll also be more likely to be taken seriously as an entrepreneur. 2. Your time is valuable, and you should be paid for it The members of The Baby-Sitters Club are only available to schedule babysitting appointments Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 5:30 and 6 p.m. They meet in BSC vice president Claudia Kishis bedroom (in the books, she was the only member of the BSC with her own private landline number) and promptly disband after a 30 minutes for homework and other after-school activities. If clients wanted to make appointments with any of the babysitters, they had to adhere to a strict time schedule. Even in the modernized, 2020-version of The Baby-Sitters Club a world where teens are technically reachable 24-7 via text, social media and email the old-fashioned boundaries of the original novels are kept intact. The Netflix series even retains the charm of the landline, which Claudia purchases from Etsy because its iconic! Related: What You Can Learn From These 3 Celebrity Women on Using Social Media for Social Good Grown-up female entrepreneurs can take a lesson from the middle-school entrepreneurs of The Baby-Sitters Club: Your time is valuable. When youre an entrepreneur or small business owner particularly when youre just starting out it can be tempting to work around the clock and to say yes to every project, even when your gut is telling you to say a big fat NO. Without the stability of a regular 9-to-5 job and the certainty of a steady paycheck, it can be hard to hold firm to your limits. This holds particularly true for female entrepreneurs, as women are socialized from a very young age to take on the emotional labor of considering everyones feelings, even at the expense of their own. In an early scene of The Baby-Sitters Club pilot on Netflix, BSC president Kristy Thomas' mom (played by 90s icon Alicia Silverstone) is stressed because she needs a last-minute babysitter for Kristys younger brother, David Michael. Kristys two older brothers, Sam and Charlie, say no without a second thought. Kristy, however, hesitates, even though she has plans shes really been looking forward to: A special sleepover at her best friend and fellow BSC member Mary Anne Spiers house. Kristy doesnt want to disappoint her mom, so she takes on the emotional labor of her moms feelings on top of her own. She immediately considers canceling her plans with her BFF, but thankfully, Kristys mom shuts down her daughters vacillation with a very good point: If the boys didnt agonize over saying no, why should Kristy? Related: 10 Women Entrepreneurs Who Are Shattering the Glass Ceiling Female entrepreneurs: Take Kristys moms words to heart. Your time is valuable, and you should be paid for it. Emotional labor is taxing, grueling work, and you shouldnt be doing it for free. Dont feel guilty saying no to spec work or rambling, hours-long interviews with potential clients who take advantage by squeezing every good idea they can get out of you for free. Set limits. Be like the members of the BSC: Tell clients they get 30 minutes of your time for free and that every second after is on the clock. 3. Diversity is important Rachel Shukert, show runner, executive producer and writer of eight out of 10 episodes of the first season of The Baby-Sitters Club, says that the original Baby-Sitters Club books (which were published from 1986 to 2000) were considered inclusive and diverse for the time. Claudia Kishi is Japanese American, and Jessi Ramsey, future junior officer of the BSC, is Black. However, when looking to update the brand for 2020, it was important to make the cast more representative of the world we live in. In the Netflix series, Mary Anne Spier is a mixed-race Black girl and Dawn Schaefer, future alternate officer of the BSC, is Latina. It was also important to Shukert to include same-sex parents in the fictional town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Shukert says I view this as a mindful organic shift two decades forward as opposed to reimagining the series. Why should entrepreneurs make a point of hiring and working with a diverse group of individuals? From a purely greedy standpoint, diversity is profitable. But from a human standpoint, representation matters. Malia Baker, who plays Mary Anne Spier, says I was really happy that they made Mary Anne a Black character, because I didn't have many to look up to when I was growing up. Xochitl Gomez, who plays Dawn Shaefer, feels the same way about her Latina character. She says shes happy to have the opportunity to be a role model for Latina girls because growing up, there werent enough Latina girls in the media for her to emulate. The amplification of the Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, means that brands are talking about diversity and anti-racism now more than ever. But consumers are smart. They know the difference between performative allyship and actual activism. And theyre willing to cancel business owners and brands that are hashtag inclusive rather than being actually inclusive. So be actually inclusive. Not just because it will help your brand (60 percent of American consumers want to make purchases from brands that proactively address systemic racism), but because its the right thing to do. Related: 15 Success Secrets From Female Founders With $1 Billion Companies Related: 5 Fears All Entrepreneurs Face (and How to Conquer Them) 3 Fierce Lessons in Female Entrepreneurship Inspired by The Baby-Sitters Club The Courage to Raise an Entrepreneur Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy External Article 16 July 2020 (CNN) - Once one of the world's most powerful travel documents, the might of the US passport has shriveled under the cloud of coronavirus, with doors slammed shut across the planet to American travelers. Advertisements With US coronavirus cases recently passing the three million mark, many nations now view America with trepidation. No matter how much they want those tourism dollars, they're unwilling to take the risk of opening their borders. Even as restrictions ease up in some places, Americans are still on the danger list. Earlier this month, the European Union omitted the United States from its list of 15 countries whose tourists are permitted to visit. While most US travelers are staying close to home this summer, preferring short-distance car trips to international air travel, some voyagers won't let a global pandemic curb their travel plans. And there are still a handful of options. Most of the Caribbean, for example, is open for US tourists. Other countries including Mexico, Maldives and Turkey aren't exactly welcoming US travelers with open arms (more like a temperature check and a Covid-19 test), but they are allowing visitors to cross their borders for the first time since coronavirus shut down much of the world. Family is coming first for this recently separated father-of-four. And for his 47th birthday on Wednesday, 90210 star Brian Austin Green celebrated by focusing on his three young children with recently estranged wife Megan Fox. In his latest Instagram post, the hunky actor is seen lighting a colorful cake with candles spelling 'Happy birthday' as the former couple's sons Journey River, three, Bodhi Ransom, six, and Noah Shannon, seven, look on. Dad first: For his 47th birthday on Wednesday, 90210 star Brian Austin Green celebrated by focusing on his three young children with recently estranged wife Megan Fox The actor known for playing David Silver on Beverly Hills 90210 captioned the sweet family snap simply, with ':)))'. The day prior, he posted a topless shot from Malibu, California, in dad mode standing at the grill holding a green stalk of leaves. 'Plant protein :))' he captioned that image cheekily. Dad bod: The day prior, he posted a topless shot from Malibu, in dad mode standing at the grill holding a green stalk of leaves The posts come after the actor, who is also father to 18-year-old son Kassius Lijah with ex Vanessa Marcil, confirmed his newest romance to model Tina Louise, 38. The pair have been spotted together on numerous occasions in recent weeks, in the relatively short amount of time since Brian's split from wife of ten years Megan. But on Monday, Louise and Green appeared to validate rumors of a romance between them as they held hands during a lunch date at Sage Vegan Bistro in Agoura Hills. Tina even commented on Brian's birthday post with his sons, writing 'Awwwww. Beautiful moment. Happy Birthday' along with a yellow heart emoji on her new beau's Instagram. Rebound romance: The posts come after the actor confirmed his newest romance to Aussie model Tina Louise Well wisher: Tina even commented on Brian's birthday post with his sons, writing 'Awwwww. Beautiful moment. Happy Birthday' along with a yellow heart emoji Ex and the kids: It's been a relatively short amount of time since Brian's split from wife of ten years Megan, who is mother to his sons Journey River, three, Bodhi Ransom, six, and Noah Shannon, seven; seen on Megan's Instagram On May 18th, Brian emotionally revealed on an episode of his podcast ...With Brian Austin Green that Megan had left him. And this wasn't the first time the couple had faced relationship trouble. The Transformers actress, 34, filed for divorce from Brian in 2015 citing irreconcilable differences, but she was back with him and pregnant with Journey the following year. As for Megan, she has moved on with rapper Machine Gun Kelly, who has already declared on social media that he is 'in love' with her. Scott Morrison has dismissed calls to pursue a COVID-19 elimination strategy, saying that trying to wipe out coronavirus would cripple the embattled economy. The prime minister said the strategy would involve a long and harsh lockdown, like the one implemented in New Zealand, that would cost jobs and may not even work. He said the Victorian outbreak, caused by hotel quarantine breaches, showed there is no guarantee elimination can be achieved when essential workers and returning Australians are entering the country from overseas. 'You can't mortgage off your economy for what would prove to be an illusory goal,' he said. Scott Morrison (pictured on Thursday) has dismissed calls to pursue an elimination strategy, saying that trying to wipe out coronavirus would cripple the economy A woman wearing a mask is seen locked in the North Melbourne public housing towers during the enforced coronavirus lockdown (pictured) 'You're talking about hundreds of thousands of more people unemployed for a start and other businesses closing and livelihoods destroyed.' Nearly one million Australians are now unemployed thanks to the coronavirus shutdown, the highest rate for 22 years. Mr Morrison said Victoria had the hardest lockdowns but still succumbed to a second wave, showing that the strategy was 'risky'. 'It's a very risky strategy and one that can be very illusory and it's one that the AHPPC and chief medical officers have been consistent on,' he said. Mr Morrison said New South Wales and Victoria in particular supported the suppression strategy. 'That's the path we are on. If you get to elimination as a result of this, well and good,' he said. A man and woman wearing a facemask walking along Lygon Street in Melbourne on Wednesday (pictured) as Victoria endured an 11th straight day of triple-digit infections NSW recorded ten new cases on Thursday including three more people linked to the Crossroads Hotel (pictured) cluster in southwest Sydney Mr Morrison conceded Australia faces a difficult fight against coronavirus as unemployment continues to climb and the national death toll reaches 113. The prime minister, who announced a $2.5billion skills program to help young Australians find work, urged people to stay positive. 'Australians are incredibly resilient and even as we go through these difficult times, let's lift our heads and keep looking forward,' he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. Two men in their 80s died in Victoria overnight as the state recorded 317 more cases in the past 24 hours - the largest daily increase since the start of the pandemic. There are 109 people hospitalised in Victoria including 29 in intensive care. Melbourne is currently on lockdown after a surge in cases (pictured, an empty Flinders Street Station on Thursday) Mr Morrison said the Victorian outbreak was a big setback to economic recovery, but he was encouraged by what he was hearing out of NSW. NSW recorded 10 new cases on Thursday including three more people linked to the Crossroads Hotel cluster in southwest Sydney. Health authorities are gravely concerned about coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes, while several staff at a children's hospital have also been infected. Meanwhile, states such as Western Australia remain closed off from the rest of the country as officials seemingly pursue the goal of zero cases of COVID-19. New Zealand's leader Jacinda Ardern also opted for an elimination strategy, with the country enduring a harsh lockdown. Jacinda Ardern (pictured on July 8) has opted for an elimination policy to rid New Zealand of coronavirus But it has since reopened, and has suffered just 22 deaths related to the virus. Ms Ardern conceded that the country must prepare for further outbreaks, but that elimination remains their strategy. New Zealand last reported a case of community transmission ten weeks ago. 'No system is 100 per cent foolproof and around the world, we are seeing even the most rigorous measures being tested by the virus,' Ms Ardern told reporters in Wellington in Wednesday. Storyful Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addressed supporters at the airport in Kyiv as he arrived to face treason charges on January 17.We are here not to defend Poroshenko. We are here to defend Ukraine, he told a crowd numbering in the hundreds, according to a translation from Radio Free Europe. We have to unite to show that Ukraine is strong and is able to stand against [Russian President Vladimir] Putins aggression, he said.Prosecutors are alleging that Poroshenko was involved in financing Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine through the sale of coal.Poroshenko tweeted he was returning to Ukraine for the sake of unity and protection from the Kremlins aggression.Twitter user @di__cortez recorded this footage which shows Poroshenko address a crowd upon his arrival at the airport, and the scene outside the court. Credit: @di__cortez via Storyful OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is earmarking $19 billion to help the provinces and territories with economic reopening and prepare for a second wave of COVID-19. With Ontario receiving about $7 billion of the federal money, which will also aid struggling municipalities, Premier Doug Ford hailed the rescue package as a great deal. This funding will support us as we get the economy going over the next six to eight months, Ford told reporters at a Chatham farm he was touring. During this hour of the greatest need, Canadas premiers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, he said, praising Trudeau and his great friends Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe for the efforts in negotiating the accord. This historic agreement proves what we can do as a nation when we stand united. This deal will see billions of dollars flow to the provinces to support municipalities, transit systems, health care systems at a time when it is needed most. While Ford had previously maintained Ontario alone needed $23 billion from Ottawa to recover from the pandemic, he thanked Trudeau for enriching his initial offer of $14 billion. The prime minister had the final say in this and ... he stepped up. True leadership, the premier said. Trudeau said the money should help safely restart our economy in the months ahead. COVID-19 isnt just a health crisis, its an economic crisis, too. So when we talk about the recovery phase its not just about making sure we can detect, control and prevent future outbreaks, he said. Its also about helping people, businesses and entire communities adjust to our new normal because until we find a vaccine the daily threat of COVID-19 will not disappear. Acknowledging the hardships faced by Canadas cities, Trudeau said the accord provides municipalities with funding to cover operational costs. Were also going to give more support to transit specifically, he said. Cities must remain up and running if our economy is to eventually get back up and running. If cities arent equipped for a safe restart, people will not be safe. Toronto Mayor John Tory who Ford said was helpful in bolstering the premiers pitch to Ottawa said the money is urgently needed. It will help us with quite a wide range of our problems, said Tory. But there are strings attached. Trudeau said the money will be available for provincial programs that fit within seven priorities from the federal government. Of the $19 billion, $4.5 billion is for national purchasing of personal protective equipment by Ottawa plus $3 billion to support provincial purchasing efforts; $4.28 billion is for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing; $2 billion for municipalities; $1.8 billion for transit that the provinces must match; $1.1 billion for temporary income support for sick leave; $740 million to support vulnerable populations and long-term care; $700 million for health-care capacity plus $500 million for mental health; and $625 million for child care. We have to make sure that there are enough child-care spaces for (parents) who dont have paid sick leave, said Trudeau, . Under the agreement, the government said Thursday night that provinces and territories will establish job-protected sick leave, through regulation or legislation, that allows workers to take up to 10 days leave related to COVID-19. The prime minister said Ottawa was providing money for transit to ensure people can safely make the trip to work as provincial economies reopen. As part of the deal, operating funding for transit agencies will be split evenly between Ottawa and the provinces. If we want people to participate in the economy they need to be able to get to work safely. No one should have to turn down a job because they dont want to risk their health during a crowded commute, said Trudeau. The Canadian Urban Transportation Association has said the countrys transit operators need $400 million a month to keep running. In Toronto, the city estimates the TTC, which at the height of the pandemic was down to just 15 per cent of its usual ridership, will be facing $700 million in pressure by the end of this year as a result of plunging fare revenue and increased costs. That makes up the lions share of the $1.35-billion operating shortfall the city of Toronto is projecting this year due to the crisis. Bill Karsten, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said cities are obviously eager to learn the details of the funding plan, which will be made public in the days ahead. Were optimistic this agreement will recognize the financial crisis municipalities face in this pandemic, said Karsten. With files from Heather Scoffield, Francine Kopun and Ben Spurr Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: The Wolf Administration Thursday announced it is making $50 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding available for hazard pay bonuses for many workers who are punching the clock through the coronavirus pandemic. The grants - which employers in several specific industry categories will have to apply for through the state Department of Economic and Community Development - would provide the covered workers a $3-per-hour pay boost through the 10-week period running from Aug. 16 through Oct. 24. The grants, capped at $3 million for any single employer, are in play for any full- or part-time worker at those firms who makes a base wage under $20 per hour. The grants can be paid to no more than 500 full-time equivalent workers at a single location. Applications may be made through July 31, at the DCEDs Web site. Industries eligible include: Health care, hospitals and social services; nursing homes and other residential care facilities; public transit agencies and ground passenger transportation businesses; food manufacturing and retailing; security firms staffing businesses that stayed open during the governors business closure orders and commercial janitorial services. The program stands a chance to hit tens of thousand of workers. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Pennsylvania shows that the median hourly wage rate for many of the business sectors covered by the grant program are well below the $20-per-hour threshold, including: Health care support, $13.53; Building cleaning and maintenance, $13.60; and Transportation and material movement, $15.61. We want to make sure that employees who deserve this, who have served on the front lines, who have put themselves at risk and in some cases taken on extra expenses get some kind of recompense for that, Gov. Tom Wolf said. Wolf announced the program at a public appearance at the Linglestown Road Giant store. The $50 million was actually earmarked in an appropriations bill passed in late May that allocated approximately $2.6 billion of Pennsylvanias $3.9 billion CARES Act allocation. That spending plan passed both the House and Senate with no opposition. Thursdays announcement simply brings the distribution structure to life. Many retail and distribution firms have already offered pandemic-related bonuses to their workers. But Wolf argued Thursday many other employers - especially smaller businesses - have not been in a position to offer such bonuses, and he wants their workers to be eligible for this extra compensation too. Were trying to show our gratitude, Pennsylvania, with money that comes through the CARES Act funding, Wolf said. In addition to all the other things that were doing, heres fifty million dollars were setting aside to make sure that we do something for the employees. He also argued that the bonuses will help to ensure that these critical functions remain fully staffed. Democratic lawmakers agreed. Front-line essential workers are the backbone of our economy, and they have been working in dangerous, sometimes deadly, conditions. They are putting themselves and their families at risk from COVID-19 on a daily basis and their wages should reflect that risk, said Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny), ranking Democrat on the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee. Many of these workers didnt sign up for life-threatening work, so Im pleased that the Hazard Pay Grant Program will assist employers in compensating them more fairly for the newfound dangers that they face. Administration officials noted firms that have given hazard pay bonuses to employees in the past could apply under the program to continue their bonuses through the fall. The Boston Police Department is mourning the death of one of its beloved K-9s, a dog named Rocky. Rocky died at seven years old after a brief illness. He had spent six of those years serving as a dual purpose patrol and explosive detection K-9, according to a statement from the department. His handler and partner noted that Rocky was a great dog who enjoyed working and will be dearly missed, the statement said. Our thoughts go out to this officer during this difficult time. The K-9 has been involved with a slew of law enforcement investigations, from the 2016 apprehension of a then-20-year-old man wanted for a murder in Taunton to the 2018 arrest of a person suspected of unlawfully entering the bedroom of woman he did not know and disrobing. In 2017, responding to an armed robbery at a convenience store in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of the city, Rocky was able to track down a loaded handgun the suspect left after fleeing the scene along with other evidence tying him to the crime. The suspect was positively identified and later arrested, the Boston Police Department noted. Rwalpindi, July 16 : Visitors have been allowed into Rawalpindi Central Jail after it banned all sorts of visits nearly four months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The jail administration on Wednesday issued a schedule of the meetings which will be organised under the strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), reports The Express Tribune. Under the latest rules, only family members will be allowed to meet their loved ones inside the jails. But, there will be a restriction on inmates meeting with children and the elderly. Visitor meetings had been banned in March to prevent the virus from spreading amongst the jail population. The jail authorities have fixed days for meetings by dividing inmates based on the nature of their crimes. Convicts imprisoned for criminal cases such as fraud, robbery, terrorism, and those sentenced to death can meet their families on Monday. Inmates convicted or currently under-trial for murder or facing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases, will meet their families on Tuesday. Inmates indicted in the kidnapping, rape, and terrorism cases can meet their families on Wednesday while on Thursday, families of foreigners and women criminals can visit the Adiala Jail. Friday has been reserved for families of petty criminals, while Saturday has been allocated for inmates who are 25-years-of-age or lower. VANCOUVER - The union representing hospitality workers across the country says it fears staff laid off because of COVID-19 may not have a job when the pandemic is over. The challenges facing workers are unprecedented, with more than 90 per cent of employees in hotels, airports, stadiums, universities and schools out of work since March, said Ian Robb, the Canadian director of Unite Here. That is why were putting forward three essentials that Canadas hospitality workers need for a fair and safe recovery in our industry, he told a news conference Thursday. The union representing 300,000 workers says it wants to protect jobs, ensure it is safe for workers to return to their workplaces, and get income support for those who are laid off. Too few employers are using the federal wage subsidy program to keep workers tied to their jobs, and all levels of government need to do to more to avoid long-term unemployment in the sector, Robb said. Analysts predict the $102-billion industry may not fully recover until the summer of 2022, leading to uncertainty for tens of thousands of workers and their families, he said. Were calling on various levels of government to be creative and to work with us, Unite Here, Canada, to avert long-term unemployment, Robb said. The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit is at the centre of the debate as employers recall workers who are concerned about the effects of the pandemic. Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the benefit has created a disincentive to return to work for some staff, especially in industries like hospitality. The Hotel Association of Canada said the industry is eager to get as many workers back on the job as possible, but most hotels are hanging on by a thread with occupancy levels hovering under 30 per cent as a national average. The missing link here is access to liquidity. Most hotels do not qualify for the governments loan programs and therefore cant pay the bills during this period, the association said in a statement. If you cant pay the bills, you cant survive and there will be no jobs to return to. The association wants the government to address its emergency response programs to give workers an incentive to return to work. Nia Winston, president of Unite Here in Detroit, said Canadas hospitality industry should heed the experience in the United States in handling unemployment benefits. In the U.S., unemployment benefits of $600 a week are set to expire at the end of July, which will make it will be nearly impossible for workers to support their families, she said. I strongly urge you to hear our cautionary tale. So Canada can do it differently. So Canada can get it right, Winston said. Hotel worker Christie Spiteri said shes worries the pandemic will be used to replace workers for a lower cost. She echoed Robb, saying too many employers in the hospitality sector are not using the federal wage subsidy program to keep workers on the payroll. I went from having a really good job with benefits and pension to not knowing what my future holds, and obviously thats really scary for me. With files from Anita Balakrishnan This report by the Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2020. WOOD RIVER A new mitigation plan to combat a resurgence of coronavirus cases was announced Wednesday morning by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. A continued emphasis on personal efforts, hand-washing, sanitizing and social distancing is being combined with possible state action and more localized mitigation efforts. This comes as Madison County has seen increased numbers of cases, particularly since breaking the record for case numbers Saturday, tying that on Sunday, then breaking that record again Monday. This is not political, its just about caring for the community and the people you love, Pritzker said during a press conference Wednesday. The state is now in phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, and while officials have always said a resurgence could move the plan backward, officials said they are looking at more focused responses to more localized outbreaks. Pritzker said the resurgence plan recognizes the state is in its strongest position to combat the virus since the start of the pandemic. He cited a robust testing operation, expanded contact tracing and other factors. He also noted that the state has lower hospital and infection rates than many states, including most of the surrounding ones. More Information COVID-19 by the numbers United States 3,416,428 (135,991 deaths) Illinois - 155,506 (7,218 deaths) Madison County - 1,275 (71 deaths) Jersey County - 48 (1 death) Calhoun County - 2 Greene County - 12 Macoupin County - 75 (3 deaths) Montgomery County - 90 (2 deaths) 89 (1 death) St. Clair County - 2,436 (145 deaths) Clinton County - 256 (17 deaths) Bond County -21 (1 death) Monroe County - 171 (13 deaths) Washington County - 28 Cases by ZIP code 62002 (Alton) - 187 62010 (Bethalto) - 51 62067 (Moro) - 8 62035 (Godfrey) - 78 62012 (Brighton) - 17 62014 (Bunker Hill) - 6 62052 (Jerseyville) - 27 62095 (Wood River) - 29 62084 (Roxana) - 6 62018 (Cottage Hills) - 13 62024 (East Alton) - 19 62025 (Edwardsville) - 176 62034 (Glen Carbon) - 95 62062 (Maryville) - 25 62294 (Troy) - 50 62040 (Granite City/Pontoon Beach) - 257 62234 (Collinsville) - 241 62060 (Madison) - 59 62090 (Venice) - 16 62249 (Highland) - 28 62281 (St. Jacob) - 6 62088 (Staunton) - 9 62069 (Mount Olive) - 12 62056 (Litchfield) - 40 62049 (Hillsboro) - 21 62033 (Gillespie) - 8 62626 (Carlinville) - 14 Sources: Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Madison County Health Department. See More Collapse Illinois now has the lowest infection rates among all our neighboring states and one of the lowest positivity rates in the country and its because of the individual actions of millions of our residents, Pritzker said. Opening up our economy does not have to come with a spike in cases. Other countries have done it successfully, while reducing cases and infection rates, he continued. But that requires vigilance on the part of all of us. Its imperative that individuals, families, workers and businesses follow the recommendations doctors have given about vital mitigations and that we act quickly if we see any outbreaks and upticks, signs that could lead to a surge of coronavirus infections. The three-tiered plan includes establishing metrics and mitigations to determine where resurgences are occurring, and how to deal with them effectively, emphasizing action in smaller regions to help focus mitigation efforts, and increased emphasis on COVID-19 testing and tracing. Madison County will be a part of the Metro East region, which also includes St. Clair, Bond, Clinton, Monroe and Randolph counties. Calhoun, Greene, Jersey and Macoupin counties will be in the West-Central region. The original Restore Illinois plan was criticized because many considered the regions to be too large, and not reflect local conditions. More details about the regions and the plan will be available at www.coronavirus.illinois.gov. This plan ensures we are looking at all available data to make timely decisions to protect the health of our communities, Ezike said. By assessing key metrics that indicate both the disease burden, and the capacity of each COVID-19 region to respond, we can then take targeted actions within specific regions to help mitigate the spread of this deadly disease, while keeping as much of our state open as possible. The issue of whether schools will be able to reopen also was talked about extensively. Ultimately, much of that depends on whether people continue to follow protoc0ls, Ezike said. Our actions today will determine what school looks like, she said, She noted those actions will absolutely include masking and social distancing. Locally, the Madison County Health Department reported a total of 43 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 1,318 cases and 71 deaths. The number of cases is two shy of the record set Monday. Statewide there were 1,187 new cases and eight deaths reported. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health website, there now are 156,693 cases statewide and 7,226 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 38,161 tests have been completed, for a statewide total of 2,079,601. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from July 8July 14 is 3.1%. That percentage has been increasing gradually statewide over the past week, but is still far below the peak levels of April and May. As of late Wednesday, 1,454 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 324 patients were in the ICU and 130 patients were on ventilators. The Madison County figures include 677 people released, meaning they have completed isolation. A total of 25,356 tests have been completed in the county. Information by ZIP code shows additional cases in the Godfrey, Brighton, Jerseyville, Cottage Hills, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Troy, Granite City/Pontoon Beach, Collinsville, Madison, Highland, Staunton and Litchfield areas. New cases also are being reported for the first time in the Roxana (62084) and Bunker Hill (62014) areas for the first time, with six cases each. The IDPH is releasing case numbers by ZIP code for areas with more than five cases. Numbers are not released in ZIP codes with fewer cases to protect the privacy of patients. The information is available at the IDPH website www.dph.illinois.gov. Click on the coronavirus banner, then COVID-19 statistics in the drop-down menu on the left side. Additional cases also have been reported in Jersey, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, St. Clair, Clinton, Bond, Monroe and Washington counties. Additional deaths were reported in Montgomery and Clinton counties, while in Bond County both the number of cases and deaths went down by one, to 21 cases and one death. For the latest information about COVID-19 or coronavirus resources, visit the Madison County Health Department at www.madisonchd.org and Facebook @MadisonCHD. Also visit www.co.madison.il.us and Facebook @MadisonCountyIL for more news and a daily update. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian scolded Kyle Sandilands live on air on Thursday, after the radio host downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. During an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the 49-year-old shock jock told Ms Berejiklian that he'd heard most COVID-19 cases were 'very mild' and that more people were dying from the flu. But Ms Berejiklian hit back at this dangerous suggestion, accusing Sandilands of spreading the 'wrong statistics' about the virus, which has so far killed more than 580,000 people worldwide. 'That's not the case': NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian scolded Kyle Sandilands live on air on Thursday, after the radio host downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic 'I've been reading all these reports and been all over this COVID thing since the start, but I've heard that 99.5 per cent of cases worldwide are very mild and more people died of the flu last year than they are going to die of COVID-19 worldwide,' Sandilands said. Ms Berejiklian argued: 'Kyle, I don't like it when people give those statistics because it makes people think we can all became complacent and that this isn't a serious disease that can cost thousands of lives here in Australia - and that's not the case.' She warned that even young, healthy people were vulnerable to the virus. Claims: During an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the 49-year-old shock jock told Ms Berejiklian that he'd heard most COVID-19 cases were 'very mild' and that more people were dying from the flu 'The ones more likely getting the disease are the ones in their twenties because they are most likely to socialise and go out and mix with each other,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'What happens then is the vulnerable [people] in their lives can get it and can die. Young people are also not immune from getting it seriously and dying themselves.' She continued: 'And what you don't often hear about is even people recovering often have lifelong organ damage and lifelong chronic conditions.' Serious matter: Ms Berejiklian hit back at this dangerous suggestion, accusing Sandilands of spreading the 'wrong statistics' about the virus, which has so far killed more than 580,000 people worldwide Ms Berejiklian also vowed she would try to avoid a lockdown in Sydney amid fears Victoria's second outbreak is spreading north of the border. On Wednesday, Victoria recorded 317 new cases of coronavirus, its worst daily figure ever. Meanwhile, New South Wales has reported 13 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday. More than three in four of the world's super-rich have increased their family wealth despite the global economic downturn resulting from the pandemic, according to a new report. Of the 121 family offices across 35 countries surveyed by the Swiss bank UBS, 93 of them said they had managed to hit or exceed their financial objectives from January to May this year. The research comes at a time when charities are warning that hundreds of millions of people around the world could be pushed into poverty due to the effects of Covid-19. The family offices surveyed by UBS currently have a combined wealth of $142.4bn (113.6bn) and an average portfolio of $1.6bn (1.28bn) each, which they look after for their ultra-high net worth clients. In a statement released in the report, Josef Stadler, head of UBS' global family office, wrote that the majority of the offices "have performed in line with, or above, targets during one of the most volatile moments in the history of financial markets." After writing that family offices could "embrace and manage risk like no other investor", Mr Stadler said: "It is missing an opportunity that gives these clients the biggest headache, not making a short-term loss." The report found that two-thirds of the family offices had traded up to 15 per cent of their portfolios since March. The UBS study follows reports that many billionaires have increased their wealth during the coronavirus crisis, including Jezz Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon and the world's richest person. According to Bloomberg, Mr Bezos' wealth has risen by $56.7bn (45.3bn) this year alone, after Amazon shares jumped due to increased demand for the delivery service. However, coronavirus has brought financial insecurity to many people across the globe, as jobs have been slashed and the value of savings has dwindled. Earlier in the pandemic, Oxfam cautioned that half a billion people could find themselves in poverty following the economic turmoil caused by the virus. Jose Maria Vera, interim executive director at Oxfam International, said: "The devastating economic fallout of the pandemic is being felt across the globe. But for poor people in poor countries who are already struggling to survive there are almost no safety nets to stop them falling into poverty." Ancillary Services for Power Market to Garner a CAGR of ~8% from 2020 to 2030; Projects for Preventing Output Fluctuations for Renewable Energy Plants Regulators Increasing Focus on Demarcating Energy Trade and System Imbalance for Real-time Electricity Market Opens New Avenue ALBANY, New York, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ancillary services occupy key role in maintaining the reliability of electricity grids and quality of power in the light of constant fluctuations in distributed power generation. Intermittent renewable energy integration, notably of wind and solar energy, is a key part of evolution of demand for ancillary services for power industry. In 2019, the global valuation of the ancillary services for power market stood at ~US$ 7 bn in 2019. Clocking a CAGR of ~8%, it is expected to reach worth of ~US$ 16 bn by 2030-end. Analysts at Transparency Market Research opine that new regulations have come to forefront in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, which will shape the outlook of ancillary services for power market. Streamlining the processes in power bidding and deployment of smart meters will reduce uncertainty in distributed energy resources, affirm the analysts. Download PDF Brochure - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=42677 Key Findings of Ancillary Services for Power Market Advancements in internet connectivity in ancillary services platforms help grid operators and service providers tap lucrative opportunities Of the various services types, the operating reserve segment led the market in 2019 Of the various regions in ancillary services for power market, Europe accounts for the major revenue share; greening of grids offers the impetus for its growth accounts for the major revenue share; greening of grids offers the impetus for its growth Asia Pacific to rise at promising pace on back of governments' efforts to adopt renewables in overall energy mix to rise at promising pace on back of governments' efforts to adopt renewables in overall energy mix Modernization of distribution grid help North America market to grow at impressive pace; the U.S. contributed the major share to the regional market in 2019 Explore 112 pages of top-notch research, incisive insights, and detailed country-level projections of Ancillary Services for Power Market (Service Type: Voltage Control & Reactive Power Support, Black Start, Load Following, Operating Reserve, Regulation Service, and Others) - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020 - 2030 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/ancillary-services-power-market.htm Ancillary Services for Power Market: Key Driving Factors and Promising Avenues Increasing drive for integration of intermittent distributed generation of wind and solar energy is a key trend bolstering the uptake of ancillary services in the power sector in several parts of the world. Managing a variable power reserves reliably has driven the need for ancillary services for the power market. Numerous regulatory trends and macroeconomic factors have propelled the growth of the market. Changes in regulations in the power sector are becoming prominent in the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in developing and developed nations. For one, India has seen a shift from long-term stakeholder engagement to short-term contracts to overcome problems in energy trade demarcations in real-time electricity markets. This has made ancillary services to gain traction in the power market. has seen a shift from long-term stakeholder engagement to short-term contracts to overcome problems in energy trade demarcations in real-time electricity markets. This has made ancillary services to gain traction in the power market. Global electrification rate is markedly increasing around the world. In particular, countries in Asia Pacific and low and middle-income economies in Africa have witnessed a rapid rise in access to electricity over the past five years, driving the demand for ancillary services in the power market. Bangladesh , Myanmar , and Kenya have seen striking rise in electrification rate, supported by various government initiatives. and low and middle-income economies in have witnessed a rapid rise in access to electricity over the past five years, driving the demand for ancillary services in the power market. , , and have seen striking rise in electrification rate, supported by various government initiatives. In developing regions, the governments are committed to promoting the modernization of grid where renewable energy penetration forms the key policy. A case in point is the African Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI). To facilitate this, there has been a remarkable growth in demand in the ancillary services for power market. View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/42677 Ancillary Services for Power Market: Competitive Landscape The presence of relatively large number of players both at regional and global level has raised the ante for new entrants and incumbents in the ancillary services for power market. Not only is the landscape intensely competitive, there exists a high degree of fragmentation. Some of the players eyeing high stakes in the ancillary services for power market are PJM Interconnection LLC, Elia System Operator, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., General Electric, Transelectrica SA, and Snowy Hydro Limited. Analyze Ancillary Services for Power Market growth in 30+ countries including US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, Benelux, Nordic, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Request a sample of the study Ancillary Services for Power Market: Key Impediments for Stakeholders Ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has spurred stakeholders in electricity market to follow power trading and adopt an hourly demarcation in the ancillary services for power market. Consequently, this has created unique uncertainties in energy trade demarcations for distribution companies. Further, voltage deviation in distributed energy processes is significant concern for players in ancillary services for power market, which demands a high degree of efficiency in ancillary services. Moreover, renewable energy plants also need to keep a check in output fluctuations, dampening the adoption of renewables in the overall energy mix in some nations. Purchase Premium Research Report on Ancillary Services for Power Market @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=42677